Free March Madness Picks Today For First Round 2023: Northwestern Wildcats vs Boise State Broncos 3/16/23

The No. 7 seed Northwestern Wildcats (21-11, 12-9 Big 10) take on the No. 10 seed Boise State Broncos (24-9, 14-6 MWC) Thursday at Golden 1 Center in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Boise State lost to the Utah State Aggies 72-62 at Thomas & Mack Center on Friday in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Naje Smith had a standout performance in the loss with 14 points. Northwestern lost a close one in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tourney on Friday at United Center, falling to the Penn State Nittany Lions 67-65 in overtime.

Boo Buie tallied 16 points to top the scoresheet in defeat. With 15 points and 11 rebounds, Brooks Barnhizer also had a strong game. Tyson Degenhart (14.3 ppg), Max Rice (13.9), and Marcus Shaver Jr. (13.0) have led the Broncos in scoring this season. Shaver Jr. also is contributing 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Buie has been the primary provider of the Wildcats’ offense, averaging 17.1 points per game. Buie also has doled out 4.5 assists per game. Matthew Nicholson has averaged 5.5 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are one of the toughest scoring defenses in the country, ranking 19th with 62.5 points per game allowed.

In the last 10 games, Boise State is 6-4 with an average margin of -0.9 (71.8-72.7). For the season, the Broncos are averaging 72.2 points per game, compared to 64.3 for opponents. Northwestern has also a 6-4 record over the last 10, scoring 64.7 points per game on average while allowing 62.4 (+2.3 margin).

BRONCOS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kobe Young: 0.4 | 2.9 | -2.5
Assists per game:
Tyson Degenhart: 1.0 | 1.8 | -0.8

WILDCATS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Brooks Barnhizer: 23.0 | 13.7 | +9.3
Julian Roper II: 0.0 | 4.4 | -4.4
Points per game:
Brooks Barnhizer: 14.4 | 7.7 | +6.7
Chase Audige: 8.6 | 13.8 | -5.2
Rebounds per game:
Brooks Barnhizer: 7.6 | 4.9 | +2.7