Nebraska lost both games against Northwestern badly, but something happened in its last three games, all on the road. They Huskers routed plowed Penn State, 93-70, won easily at Ohio State, 78-70, and beat Wisconsin, 74-73.They are taking good shots and playing solid defense. Northwestern has lost five of its last seven. Take the points with Nebraska.

Nebraska has played well down the stretch, beating Penn State, Ohio State and Wisconsin all on the road, which is why I suspect 75% of the public is backing them to cover against Northwestern. These two teams played twice during the regular season, with Northwestern winning by 24 on the road and 11 at home. Northwestern defends at a high level and takes care of the ball on offense, while Nebraska struggles to defend (allowing 78.8 PPG) and is not a good rebounding team. The Wildcats will get it done for a third straight time and cover the 4.5 points.

Nebraska was 6-50 in Big Ten play under Fred Hoiberg until a stunning turnaround the past two weeks. The resurgence coincided with the administration saying Hoiberg would return for a fifth season. After a 10-point loss to Iowa, the Cornhuskers blew out Penn State and beat Ohio State and Wisconsin to finish the regular season. I expect leading scorer Bryce McGowens (hand/wrist) to play as he has been practicing on a limited basis. Point guard Alonzo Verge is peaking, averaging 16 points, 5.6 assists and four rebounds on 51 percent shooting over his last eight games. Northwestern swept Nebraska in the regular season by hitting 41.3 percent on 3-pointers. The Wildcats shot 32.1 percent in all other Big Ten games. Take the points.