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The Welsh-Ryan Arena will host a Big Ten Conference NCAAB matchup between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats on Wednesday (January 4) night.
The Fighting Illini are a solid 9-4 (0-2) this season and are coming off a 85-52 home win against the Bethune Cookman Wildcats last Thursday. The Wildcats are 10-3 (1-1) right now and are coming off a 73-57 home loss against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats Betting Odds
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Northwestern Wildcats Match Details
Fixture: Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Northwestern Wildcats
Time and date: Wednesday, January 4, 2023; 9:00 pm ET
Venue: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Northwestern Wildcats Key Stats
The Fighting Illini are a solid offensive team, averaging 78.1 points per game. They have distributed the basketball decently well, as they are averaging 14.3 assists over the course of the season.
Senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. has led the team, averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 31 minutes per game. He definitely made his presence felt throughout the game with his overall production as the best player on the team.
Their defense has been doing well as they're allowing 63.7 points per game. The Fighting Illini have been getting into things, forcing 5.9 blocks and 8.2 steals per game as well.
The Wildcats are a decent offensive team as they are scoring 67.3 points per outing and shooting just 38.4% from the field. Senior guard Chase Audige has been doing well, averaging 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 2.5 steals per game in 32.2 minutes this season.
Defensively, they have been dominant throughout the year, as they have given up only 57 points per game. They need to do better as they're forcing five blocks and 8.3 steals per game up to this point.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats Best Picks and Prediction
The defense of the Northwestern Wildcats has been doing incredibly well throughout the season as they are one of the best defensive teams in the country. If they can figure things out in terms of offense, they will be able to score enough to win games as they are averaging 73.8 points in their last four games. The underdog has covered nine of the last 13 games against one another, so go with Northwestern to cover the spread in this game.
Pick: Northwestern Wildcats +3.5 (-110)
