Illinois Fighting Illini (9-4) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (10-3)
The 2022-23 college basketball season continues Wednesday, January 4, with plenty of interesting matchups around the country including the Big Ten Conference showdown between the Illinois Fighting Illini and Northwestern Wildcats with the tip-off at 9:00 PM ET.
The Fighting Illini head to Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, as slight favorites with a total of 132.5 points. They’ll try to grab the ninth consecutive victory over the Wildcats, who have covered the spread in three straight meetings with the Fighting Illini.
The Illinois Fighting Illini (9-4; 7-6 ATS; 0-2 conf.) haven’t won two straight games since November and will try to change that Wednesday in Evanston. They are coming off Thursday’s 85-52 thrashing of the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. The Fighting Illini covered a massive 30.0-point spread, holding the Wildcats to 29.3% shooting from the field.
Illinois made 49.2% of its field goals (8-for-28 from deep) versus Bethune-Cookman. Sophomore forward Dain Dainja enjoyed a great game, notching 22 points, six rebounds, four steals, and four blocks, while senior guard Terrence Shannon accounted for 13 points, three assists, and four steals. Shannon is now tallying 17.8 points, 5.4 boards, and 2.9 assists per game, while Dainja is posting 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds a night.
.@DDainja did it all.
22 points
8-10 from the field
6 rebounds
4 blocks
4 steals#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/jhaaVtlYHO
— Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) December 31, 2022
The Fighting Illini have gone 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS over their last six outings at any location. They are No. 40 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 28 in the KenPom rankings. Illinois scores 109.1 points per 100 possessions (48th in the nation) on 46.5% shooting from the field (88th) and 33.0% from downtown (227th) while yielding 91.9 points in return (27th) on 39.3% shooting from the field (32nd) and 32.7% from beyond the 3-point line (174th).