The Northwestern Wildcats are off to their best start since 2016-17 and will look to continue that success when they take on the Brown Bears in a non-conference matchup on Thursday afternoon. The Wildcats (9-2), who finished in a tie for 10th-place in the Big 10 at 7-13 and were 15-16 overall last season, have won four consecutive games following a 92-54 dismantling of Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 20. The Bears (7-5), who tied for sixth in the Ivy League at 5-9 and were 13-16 overall in 2021-22, have won six of seven. Brown is 4-3 on the road this season, while Northwestern is 6-1 on its home court.

The game from Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, tips off at 1 p.m. ET. Northwestern is favored by 13.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points is set at 128 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page).

Before making any Brown vs. Northwestern picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 8 of the 2022-23 college basketball season on a strong 21-15 roll on all-top rated CBB picks. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns!

The model knows the Wildcats are led by senior guard Chase Audige, who has reached double-digit scoring in each of the last seven games. He scored a season-high 28 points in an 83-45 win over DePaul on Dec. 17, and is coming off a 19-point performance against UIC. Audige scored 20 points in a 66-52 victory over Liberty on Nov. 22 during the Cancun Challenge. For the season, he is averaging 14.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

The model also knows sophomore guard Kino Lilly Jr. powers the Bears offense. He is averaging 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is connecting on 41.8% of his shots from the floor, including 36% of his 3-pointers, and is hitting on 81.8% of his free throws. He is coming off a 15-point performance in the win over New Hampshire. He had a season-high 32 points in a 70-63 win over Maine on Nov. 27.

Now, it has set its sights on Brown vs. Northwestern. It is leaning Over on the total and it has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 70% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Brown vs. Northwestern? And which side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Brown vs. Northwestern spread you should be all over Thursday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!