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Boston University Terriers play at Northwestern Wildcats in the college basketball on Monday, November 9, at Welsh-Ryan Arena. As of 10:57 AM ET, Northwestern are 16.5-point favorites and the total is 143.5. Prices come from 13 sportsbooks we track. The Desk leans Northwestern -16.5. A prediction is an estimate from the market and the matchup, not a certain result.
Prices updated (23 min ago) · from 13 sportsbooks · college basketball betting splits
DraftKings bettors lean Northwestern on the spread (60% of tickets).
| Book | BetsBoston U +16.5Northwestern -16.5 | MoneyBoston U +16.5Northwestern -16.5 |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings |
Splits data from DraftKings. See every game's betting splits
These are exchange trades, not sportsbook bets. On an exchange every trade has a buyer and a seller, so this shows which side buyers paid for.
Kalshi, Polymarket and Novig publish every trade with the side the buyer took. ProphetX carries its trade fills the same way; a line with no captured fill shows dollars matched only. Trades is each side's share of trades since the market opened and Money is its share of the dollars buyers paid. Markets with fewer than 10 trades or under $500 traded are left out; markets under 30 trades or $5,000 are labelled Light trading, because a few buyers can move the percentages a long way.
| Market | Boston University Terriers | Northwestern Wildcats |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | +727Betr | -- |
| Spread | +16.5 +104Polymarket Global exchange price | -16.5 +108Bet at Novig → exchange price |
| Total 143.5 | O -102Bet at Novig → exchange price | U -106Bet at Novig → exchange price |
As of 10:57 AM ET, the spread is Northwestern -16.5 and the total is 143.5, with 13 sportsbooks priced and the table showing each book's own number.
| Sportsbook | Boston University ML | Northwestern ML | Boston University spread | Northwestern spread | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM | +1000 | -2000 | +16.5 -110 | -16.5 -110 | O 143.5 -110 | U 143.5 -110 |
| Courtside | +1177 | -1882 | +16.5 -108 | -16.5 -108 | O 143.5 -108 | U 143.5 -108 |
| DraftKings | +1100 | -2100 | +16.5 -110 | -16.5 -110 | O 143.5 -110 | U 143.5 -110 |
| Novig | +1233 | -1438 | +16.5 -113 | -16.5 +108 | O 143.5 -102 | U 143.5 -106 |
| theScore Bet | +1300 | -4000 | +16.5 -110 | -16.5 -110 | O 143.5 -110 | U 143.5 -110 |
| Bally Bet | +900 | -2500 | +16.5 -108 | -16.5 -113 | – | – |
| betPARX | +900 | -2500 | +16.5 -108 | -16.5 -113 | – | – |
| BetRivers | +900 | -2500 | +16.5 -109 | -16.5 -114 | – | – |
| Fanatics | +1100 | -2000 | +16.5 -110 | -16.5 -110 | – | – |
| FanDuel | +1100 | -2500 | +16.5 -115 | -16.5 -105 | – | – |
Prices from 13 sportsbooks we track (the 10 with the most markets shown), updated (23 min ago). Prices move, so check the book before you bet.
Jake West (NU)21.5 PPG (2 GP)
Kyrone Alexander (BU)24.0 PPG (2 GP)The betting market gives the Boston University Terriers about a 6% chance to win at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Our rating, an Elo model built on past results, has them at 32%. That gap is wide enough that a bettor should slow down before touching anything here. The Northwestern Wildcats host at 8:00 PM ET on Monday, November 9, on BTN. The total has already dropped three points since it opened. Here is how we read Boston University vs Northwestern, one number at a time.
Northwestern is the clear favorite. Both teams are 2-0, but each is only two games into the season, so those records tell us almost nothing yet. The last meeting came 367 days ago, and Northwestern won it. The schedule says more than the records right now. Both teams have two days of rest, and neither is on a back-to-back (games on consecutive days).
Boston University is on game two of a road trip. It traveled 836 miles from Providence and crossed one time zone west. Northwestern is on game three of a home stand and did not travel at all. One wrinkle cuts the other way. Northwestern has played two games in the last seven days, and Boston University has played one.
Kyrone Alexander leads Boston University at 12 per game over two games, a small sample. A Nov 8 headline noted his 29-point outing, and he played 35 minutes last game. Sam Hughes played 34 and Azmar Abdullah played 32. For Northwestern, Jake West shows 10.8 per game over two games, also a small sample. Over his last five games he averages 14.2 points per game (11.5 over his last ten) in 32.6 minutes a night. West and Angelo Ciaravino each logged 38 minutes last game. West has 70 minutes over the last seven days. That is a heavy load for early November.
The point spread is a handicap. Northwestern -16.5 at -103 (best at Courtside) wins only if Northwestern wins by 17 or more. A 16-point win loses. A $100 bet profits $97.09. Boston University +16.5 at -105 (best at betPARX) wins if the Terriers win outright or lose by 16 or fewer. A $100 bet profits $95.24. The half point means no push (a tie that refunds your stake). The moneyline is a bet on who wins, straight up. Boston University +727 at Betr profits $727 on a $100 bet. Our feed has no Northwestern moneyline.
The total is the combined score of both teams, set at 144.5. Over is -106 and Under is -110, both best at Courtside. Lines have moved, too. The spread opened at Northwestern -17.5 and now sits at -16.5 after two moves. The total opened at 147.5 and has made nine moves down to 144.5. One of those moves went from 147.5 to 144.5 at three books within five minutes. Pace counts here. Over their last 10 stored games, Boston University averaged 62.5 possessions (trips down the floor) and 120.4 points per 100 possessions. Northwestern averaged 59.9 possessions and 121.5 points per 100.
The vig is the sportsbook's cut. Strip it out and you get the no-vig number, which is the market's own read without the fee. Break-even is how often a bet must win to stop losing money. Expected value is your average result per bet if you placed it many times. On this board, every side comes out negative against the market's own read. Boston University +16.5 needs 51.2% against a 50% cover read, for minus $2.38. The Over costs minus $2.83 and the Under costs minus $4.55. Northwestern -16.5 has the lowest break-even on the board at 50.7%.
Our pick is Northwestern -16.5 at -103 at Courtside. This is a matchup lean, not a value play. It needs 50.7% to break even, and the market's 50% cover read does not beat that. We like the home team that has not traveled against a road team coming off an 836-mile trip. For a favorite, the smaller number is the better one. Shop for -16 or lower before you settle for -16.5, and keep the stake small.
We see a slow, grinding game in which Northwestern pulls away late. Projected score: Northwestern 80, Boston University 62. That 18-point margin covers -16.5. The 142 combined points land under the 144.5 total, but we are not betting the total. In any Northwestern vs Boston University prediction, getting the best number matters as much as the side you pick. That is our read on this number. The Desk posts a documented free play on days like this, and it lands right below.
Northwestern -16.5 at -103 is our thin matchup lean in Boston University vs Northwestern, but no ticket on this board beats the sportsbook's cut.
Boston University vs Northwestern airs on BTN. The game tips off at 8:00 PM ET on Monday, November 9, 2026, at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the home floor of the Northwestern Wildcats. Northwestern is on game three of a home stand.
The game starts at 8:00 PM ET on Monday, November 9, 2026. It is played at Welsh-Ryan Arena and broadcast on BTN. Both teams enter with two days of rest, and Boston University is on game two of a road trip.
Northwestern -16.5 at -103 is our thin matchup lean in Boston University vs Northwestern, but no ticket on this board beats the sportsbook's cut. The full read, including a projected final score, is in The Prediction section above.
The total is 143.5, with the over priced at -102 at Novig and the under at -106 at Novig. A total is a bet on the combined score of both teams, over or under that number, no matter who wins.
Yes. This is a free Wise Guy Desk breakdown, our analysis, not Ross's official plays. Ross's documented plays are bet with real money and graded win or loss on the members board.
Expected value first: the best price across the regulated US books we track versus the true fair price with the vig removed, then the matchup data (form, standings, injuries, key players). Line shopping for the best number is the edge most bettors leave on the table.
More for this game: College basketball betting splits · DraftKings betting splits · college basketball odds · FanDuel betting splits
The spread opened Wildcats -17.5 and is now -16.5; the total moved from 147.5 to 144.5; several books (3) moved the total on under to 144.5 together.
As of Nov 9, 8:22 AM ET, when this preview was written. Percentages are public betting splits and market prices, not picks.
This preview was produced with AI assistance from live data feeds and reviewed by automated checks. Odds and availability change constantly and may differ from what's shown - always verify the current line at your sportsbook before betting. Found an error? memberservice@wiseguyteam.com.
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