Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/13/2022

Game Time: 2:00 pm ET, Sunday, February 13, 2022

Venue:  State Farm Center, Champaign, IL

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  NW +10, Illinois -10; Over/Under:  139 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  NW +10.5, Illinois -10.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  NW +10.5, Illinois -10.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

 

Northwestern Wildcats:  12-10 (10th place, Big Ten)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  17-6 (2nd place, Big Ten)

 

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Northwestern Wildcats:  3-2 last 5

Illinois Fighting Illini:  4-1 last 5

 

 

 

NW is coming into this game with a 12-10 record overall and they are 3-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 13th conference matchup of the year and they are currently 5-8 in their conference games this season. Their last loss was against the Illinois Fighting Illini but they have gone on a 3 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the Indiana Hoosiers in their last game. Boo Buie led the team in points in that game with 18 while Chase Audige was next on the team with 12 points. Ryan Greer led the team in assists in that game off the bench with 3 while Pete Nance led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 31.9% from the field, 18.5% from 3-point range, and 76.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.8 PPG against them. NW has an ATS record of 10-11 this season and their O/U record is 12-9.

 

 

Illinois is coming into this game with a 17-6 record overall and they are 10-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 14th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 10-3 in their conference games this season. They have won 4 of their last 5 games but are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game which snapped a 4 game winning streak that they were on. Their 4 wins in that span were against the Michigan State Spartans, the Northwestern Wildcats, the Wisconsin Badgers, and the Indiana Hoosiers while their loss came against the Purdue Boilermakers in their last game. Kofi Cockburn led the team in points in that game with 18 while André Curbelo off the bench was next on the team with 15 points. Trent Frazier led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Cockburn led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 41.4% from the field, 30.8% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 76.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.3 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 11-12 this season and their O/U record is 14-9.

 

Northwestern has been gaining some steam in their recent games. They have won 3 straight games but they are going up against a much better team than what they have seen in that span. They are going up against an Illinois side that is ranked number 13 in the nation and has been playing very well recently. Northwestern has a losing record in their conference games and on the road this season, it is tough to see them keeping up with Illinois here on the road. Illinois is 10-3 in their conference games and they are a solid 10-2 in their conference games as well. They are coming off of an awful loss in their last game where they lost on the road to Purdue by close to 20 points and they will be looking to make up for that performance here. They have been a much better team at home this season and they should be able to handle Northwestern with no problems. Northwestern has been playing well but they have not really played any good teams and they will revert back to their old form once face to face with Illinois. Illinois should get their bounce back win here at home by double digits and get back on track.

 

Northwestern Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Sunday, February 13, 2022 (2:00 pm ET start time) is Illinois 88 Northwestern 68.

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Northwestern Wildcats: 17-24 ATS when the total is 130 to 139.5. 23-31 ATS against conference opponents. 6-1 OVER after 1 or more consecutive unders.

Illinois Fighting Illini: 51-28 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points. 21-14 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 14-8 OVER in all games.

 

 

Northwestern Wildcats:  None.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  A. Hutcherson (G) out for season - Hernia.

 

 

“I mean, there was no indication that they weren't going to play. So we really didn't find out until 12 minutes before the game.” - Chris Collins on Indiana suspending 5 of their players right before their game the other night.

 

 

“I came back to cement my legacy. I wanted to lead. I wanted it to be on me. I wanted all of that.” - Kofi Cockburn on leading the team this season.

 

 

 

C. Audige 

R. Beran 

T. Berry 

B. Buie 

P. Nance 

 

K. Cockburn

T. Frazier 

J. Grandison 

A. Plummer

D. Williams

 

 

PPG: B. Buie (15.5)

APG: B. Buie (4.8)

Reb/G: P. Nance (7)

 

PPG: K. Cockburn (21.6)

APG: T. Frazier (3.9)

Reb/G: K. Cockburn (11.2)

 

Coaches:

Northwestern Wildcats: Chris Collins (9th season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (5th season)