Northwestern at Illinois prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Wednesday, February 23
Northwestern at Illinois How To Watch
Date: Wednesday, February 23
Game Time: 9:00 ET
Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, IL
How To Watch: BTN
Record: Northwestern (20-7), Illinois (18-9)
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Northwestern vs Illinois Game Preview
Why Northwestern Will Win
Who’s the hottest thing going in college basketball right now?
Okay, there might be others on better winning streaks, but Northwestern went from being an easy out with a 12-6 record to a possible 5 seed – or higher – after going 8-1 in the last nine games.
Having a slew of home games has helped, but it’s afar more than that. The defense has been amazing at stopping teams from three, there aren’t a ton of turnovers, and the D is forcing a ton of mistakes. All of that, and it’s living on the defensive boards – there aren’t a lot of second chance points allowed.
But …
Why Illinois Will Win
It’s not like Northwestern can shoot.
It wins games ugly. It can score – it put up 80 on Iowa’s bad defense when everything was dropping – but it’s the worst shooting team in the Big Ten connecting on 1st 41% of its chances.
It doesn’t do enough from three, it’s just okay on the move, and it has to win games by forcing mistakes and playing great D.
Northwestern is 12-1 when hitting 43% or better from the field, Illinois allows teams to make 41% of their shots. That, and …
What’s Going To Happen
The Illini might be struggling just when they need to kick it all in, but the problems have mostly been on the road. They’ve won their last four at home and are 13-2 overall in Champaign.
Northwestern is playing with extreme confidence and the defense is terrific enough to make the Illini go cold for long stretches. Illinois will still find a way to come through by doing a strong job on the offensive boards.
Northwestern vs Illinois Prediction, Line
Illinois 69, Northwestern 65
Line: Illinois -5, o/u: 136
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Ranking: 3.5
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