How to Bet on Northwestern in Illinois

You can only bet on in-state college teams in Illinois while at one of the Illinois sportsbook locations. You can bet on out-of-state college teams online. To get started, follow these steps:

1. Firstly, download a sports betting app for Illinois and set up an account. You will be asked to provide your name, email, and the last four digits of your Social Security number by the app.
2. Next, deposit funds using any method provided in the legal sportsbook app to guarantee you won’t miss any bonus bets and bonuses. In Illinois, deposit options include debit or credit card, ACH, e-check, and PayPal. Alternatively, you can make a deposit in person at a casino in Illinois.
3. Finally, go to the retail sportsbook to place a bet on a college team from Illinois, such as the Northwestern Wildcats.

Closest retail sportsbooks to Evanston

Here are a few of the closest sportsbooks near Evanston, IL, where the campus of Northwestern is located. PointsBet Sportsbook at Hawthorne Race Course is only a short drive from Evanston, while BetRivers Sportsbook at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines is around 30 minutes. 

Online sportsbook	Casino/OTB	Address	Distance from Evanston
PointsBet	Player’s Pub & Grill	1250 S. River Road, Prospect Heights	28 miles
BetRivers	Rivers Casino	3000 S. River Road, Des Plaines	32 miles
Caesars by William Hill	Grand Victoria Casino	250 S. Grove Ave., Elgin	40 miles
PointsBet	Club Hawthorne Crestwood	13148 Rivercrest Drive, Crestwood	43 miles
Barstool	Hollywood Aurora	1 W. New York St., Aurora	48 miles
PointsBet	Hawthorne Race Course	3501 S. Laramie Ave., Stickney	49 miles
FanDuel	FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing	9301 Collinsville Road, Collinsville	300 miles
DraftKings	DraftKings at Casino Queen	200 S. Front St., East St. Louis	307 miles

Northwestern Betting Lines Explained

There are a few ways you can bet Northwestern Wildcats basketball. The most common ways are betting the spread, betting the moneyline, as well as betting if the score will go over or under the total points. 

Northwestern spread bets

If betting the spread and Northwestern was favored by 5.5 against Maryland, the Wildcats would have to win by six in order for that bet to cash. However, if Northwestern would win by nine, this would be considered a “push” and the bettor would receive the full wager back. A spread bet looks like this:

Team	Spread
Maryland Terrapins	-5.5 (-110)
Northwestern	+5.5 (-110)

Northwestern moneyline bet

Betting the moneyline is just a fancy way of picking the winner outright. While money can always be made on picking the favorite, the value lies in the underdog. Typically the underdog is “plus” money. A moneyline wager looks like this:

Team	Moneyline odds to win
Maryland Terrapins	-220
Northwestern	+180

Northwestern over/under odds

The other main wager is having the option of picking over or under the total points scored in the game between the two teams. If a bettor was placing a bet on the total going over 135.5 points scored, the two teams would have to score at least 136 total points for the bettor to cash that ticket. Here’s an example:

Team	Total
Maryland Terrapins	O 135.5 (-110)
Northwestern	U 135.5 (-110)

Some sportsbooks also offer bets on total points scored for the team. For instance, if a sportsbook had Northwestern’s total points set at 62.5, a bettor could place a bet on Northwestern to hit the over or under of that total.

Northwestern has not been a part of any significant March Madness upsets, because it only has one NCAA Tournament win in school history.

Northwestern futures bets

A futures bet is a wager on a team that usually takes weeks or months to see if the wager will hit or not, similar to a longer-term investment into the stock market.  If a bettor places a future bet at $100 at +1800, the bettor could see the odds and the value of that bet increase or decrease for the team, depending on the success of the team. While the sports bettor who made the $100 bet at +1800 is locked in for those odds, other bettors could get better or worse odds as the season rolls on. 

For example, a wager is made on Northwestern to win the Big Ten Tournament at +1800 for $100. If Northwestern were to win the tournament, the ticket would cash and the bettor would win $1,800.      

Why We Can Bet on IL College Teams Finally

While online sports betting in Illinois has been in full swing, you haven’t been able to bet on in-state college teams since sports betting was made legal. However, that is changing. With the passage of HB 3136, sports bettors can wager on Illinois colleges and universities, as well as other programs that are playing Illinois schools on that day. With that said, there is an in-person stipulation, meaning no mobile wagering will be allowed. 

Northwestern Home Games

How to Listen to Northwestern Wildcat Games

Wildcat fans can listen to the games on NUSports.com via Studio N Productions. Fans can also hear games on WGN Radio 720.

How to Watch Northwestern Games

Northwestern basketball is on multiple networks, but mainly on the Big Ten Network, as all conference games are on the conference network. Fans can watch nonconference contests on the ESPN network, including ESPN+. Other networks include Fox Sports and CBS Sports Network.

Where to Watch the Wildcats Near Evanston

Mullen’s Sports Bar and Grill

• Address: 7301 Western Ave.
• The hours of operation are from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays through Sundays, and from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturdays.

Mullen’s has a friendly atmosphere with various food throughout the day, including brunch, dinner and late-night food options. The sports bar has billiards, darts and other games to enjoy.

Ten Mile House

• Address: 1700 Central St.
• The operating hours are as follows: From 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. On Fridays, we are open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Saturdays, our hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sundays, we operate from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Ten Mile is a good place to go if you are in town for a night and want to watch the game while trying the local beer. Ten Mile House is known for having a surplus of local beers on tap.

Bluestone

• Address: 1932 Central St.
• The establishment is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

If you’re in the mood for classic American food or drinks with friends, Bluestone has the menu and atmosphere for both.

How Did Northwestern Do Last Year?

Northwestern struggled a year ago, finishing the season with a record of 9-15 overall. However, it looked as if the Wildcats would have a successful year, as the program got off to an impressive 4-1 start out of the gate. Northwestern had two top 25 wins in their first five games to start the season, with wins over fourth-ranked Michigan State and No. 23 Ohio State. The loss during that stretch came to Pittsburgh by just one point, falling 71-70. After a rough stretch during the middle of the season, Northwestern ended the regular season on a three-game win streak. The Wildcats would then fall in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to Minnesota.

The Last Time the Wildcats …

• Northwestern punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament in 2017, which has been the only time they have made it to the tournament.
• The Wildcats have participated in the NIT seven times, with their most recent participation being in 2012.
• The Big Ten Conference Regular Season Championship was won in 1933.

Historic Facts

• Northwestern’s solitary victory in the NCAA Tournament was a 68-66 win against Vanderbilt.
• The Wildcats’ all-time record stands at 1,092 wins, 1,521 losses, and 1 tie.
• Arthur Lonborg, who gathered 236 wins, was the last coach with a winning record at Northwestern. His tenure dated from 1927 to 1950, and he finished with a head coaching record of 236-203-1.
• John Shurna is the career leader in points for the program, having accumulated a total of 2,038 points from 2009-12.
• Northwestern scored their highest points in a single game, 121 points, against Tulane on Dec. 19, 1966.
• Northwestern achieved their most victories in a season, 24, during the 2017 campaign.
• The record for the most consecutive road wins was set during the 1931 season, with a total of seven wins in a row.

Notable Sports Media Personalities

Northwestern has one of the most prominent journalism schools in America, Medill. Many big-name sports personalities went to Northwestern. Here are a few Wildcats of note:

• Mike Greenberg
• Michael Wilbon
• Rachel Nichols
• J.A. Adande
• Stewart Mandel
• Christine Brennan
• Rich Eisen
• Jon Heyman
• Darren Rovell