Raiders vs Badgers Odds & Picks: Wisconsin Has Struggled ATS As A Favorite

The No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers (24-7 SU, 17-14 ATS) are 1-8 ATS in their last nine games as a betting favorite heading into their Midwest Region showdown against the 14th-seeded Colgate Raiders (23-11, 17-15-1). The Badgers hope to buck this trend as a Raiders vs Badgers prediction favorite Friday in their NCAA Tournament opener.

Raiders vs Badgers Odds & Analysis

Sportsbook Odds

The Badgers opened as 7.5-point favorites before betting action as the preferred Raiders vs Badgers prediction bumped the line up slightly to Wisconsin -8. The total in this Round of 64 matchup has remained steady since Sportsbook at 139 points. The OVER is 6-3 in Wisconsin’s last nine games played in March.

Get the best Raiders vs Badgers odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.

Colgate’s Long Win Streak Leads To Back-To-Back NCAA Tournament Appearances

The Raiders rolled to a 74-58 win over the Navy Midshipmen in the Patriot League championship game, completing a 3-0 SU and ATS run through the Patriot League Tournament. Senior guard Jack Ferguson scored 17 points in the win and averaged 20.7 points per game across the three tournament contests in March.

Colgate didn’t enjoy much out-of-conference success with a 4-10 SU and 3-9-1 ATS start to the 2021-22 campaign. The Raiders shook off that slow start to go 19-1 SU and 14-6 ATS over their last 20 games, including a 15-0 SU run to finish up the regular season.

Bettors taking Colgate as their Raiders vs Badgers prediction will be hoping that this recent stretch of dominance leads to out-of-conference success that eluded the Raiders earlier this season.

Johnny Davis’ Health Is Critical To Wisconsin’s Success

The Badgers lost their first game in the Big Ten Tournament, falling to the Michigan State Spartans 69-63 as 3.5-point favorites. This loss came five days after Wisconsin suffered a 74-73 loss at home to the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a 12.5-point favorite after leading scorer Johnny Davis left the game early with an injury.

Wisconsin was playing great prior to the two losses with a 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS run that included upset wins over Indiana, Rutgers and Purdue.

Davis went a dismal 3-for-19 from the floor and scored only 11 points in the loss to the Spartans. While it was good that he was able to return so quickly from the lower-body injury that knocked him out of the Nebraska game, his form against Michigan State was troubling. Having an extra week to rest and recover should help Davis to get back on track Friday.

Raiders vs Badgers Pick & Insights

Raiders: Keys To Cover

Colgate has a balanced offensive attack that ranked 59th in the nation with 76.1 points per game and has five different players that averaged at least 10 points per game this season. That balance could help the Raiders keep Wisconsin guessing on defense en route to covering the spread as a Raiders vs Badgers prediction.

Badgers: Keys To Cover

With a solid defense that allows 66.5 points per game and a top-25 scorer in Johnny Davis, Wisconsin is good enough to make a deep run this season. But its reliance on Davis also leaves the Badgers vulnerable to an upset. How Wisconsin fares as a Raiders vs Badgers pick in this one will largely come down to how well Davis plays.

Odds Shark’s Computer Raiders vs Badgers Prediction: Raiders +7.5

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