Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction Game Preview

Illinois vs Northwestern game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 13 game on Saturday, November 26

Illinois vs Northwestern prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 13, Saturday, November 26


Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction Game Preview

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Illinois vs Northwestern How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 26
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
How To Watch: BTN
Record: Illinois (7-4), Northwestern (1-10)
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Why Illinois Will Win

Northwestern hasn’t been able to figure out that whole scoring thing as the season has gone on.

The offense will move the ball a bit, but turnovers are a massive problem – two or more in eight games and six in the last two – and it’s having an impossible time putting the biscuit in the basket.

Northwestern lost to Maryland 31-24. That was the only time in the last eight games it scores more than 14 points, and now it’s going against the No. 2 defense in college football that allows 259 points and 13 points per game.

As long as the Illini can get up fast and don’t royally screw up, it should have this, but …

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Why Northwestern Will Win

Can Northwestern throw a bit?

It couldn’t do it against Ohio State or Purdue, but the defense was able to keep the score in check – the weather conditions had everything to do with that against the Buckeyes – but the passing game has occasionally been okay enough to be at least accurate.

That’s how you bother the Illinois defense – you have to throw against it. Michigan State, Purdue, and Michigan were all able to run in their wins against Illinois, but that was set up by being decent enough through the air to be a bother.

The Wildcats have to mix up the offense a little bit and the run defense has go one up with a special day.

There’s no shot without holding the Illini to under 160 rushing yards, but …

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What’s Going To Happen

There won’t be enough from the the Northwestern offense, and there won’t be enough big plays from the defensive side to make up for it.

Illinois might have lost its last three games, but it doesn’t turn the ball over – just three in the last five games.

It won’t be anything pretty, but Illinois will take its second win in a row over Chicago’s Hometown Team.

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Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction, Line

Illinois 26, Northwestern 13
Line: Illinois -14.5, o/u: 37.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Illinois vs Northwestern Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5

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Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview

Illinois vs Northwestern prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Sunday.

Illinois vs Northwestern prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Sunday, February 13


Illinois vs Northwestern How To Watch

Date: Sunday, February 13
Game Time: 2:00 ET
Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, IL
How To Watch: BTN
Record: Illinois (17-6), Northwestern (12-10)
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Illinois vs Northwestern Game Preview


Why Northwestern Will Win

The Wildcats gave the Illini a run a few weeks ago in a 59-56 loss, and they’ve won three straight since then including a win over a suddenly smoking Rutgers.

They’re hitting from the outside, they’re not turning the ball over and giving up easy points, and they’ve been surprisingly great on the boards.

In the first meeting they were great on the free throw line and were able to hold up against Illinois on the outside.

There wasn’t an answer for Kofi Cockburn on the inside, but if Northwestern can once again neutralize the Illini outside shooting, it’ll have a shot.

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Why Illinois Will Win

Yeah, Mr. Cockburn.

Illinois is coming off a rough loss at Purdue, but it’s shooting just fine on the inside thanks to 21, the rebounding is among the best in the conference, and the offense is moving the ball around well enough to give a whole slew of other parts a scoring taste.

Northwestern might be playing well lately, and the offense showed up big for Rutgers and in the win over Indiana, but there’s going to be a problem.

Northwestern isn’t good enough at guarding the three.

It was able to do a good job over the last few games, but overall it allows teams to hit about 36% from outside the arc. So …

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What’s Going To Happen

Work it inside to Cockburn, move it outside to grab the momentum from three, and get back on track after the Purdue loss. Illinois will come up with a stronger performance than the last meeting with Northwestern.

It won’t be a layup of a win, but it’ll come up with a nice performance with a great shooting day.

Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction, Lines

Illinois 78, Northwestern 65
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING

Must See Rating: 3

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Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview

Illinois vs Northwestern prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday.

Illinois vs Northwestern prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, January 29


Illinois vs Northwestern How To Watch

Date: Saturday, January 29
Game Time: 4:30 ET
Venue: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL
How To Watch: BTN
Record: Illinois (14-5), Northwestern (9-9)
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Illinois vs Northwestern Game Preview


Why Illinois Will Win

Illinois is trying so, so hard to get its mojo back.

This isn’t the 2021 team, and it’s got a big problem forcing mistakes for easy baskets, but it’s amazing on the boards – Kofi Cockburn has a whole lot to do with that – and it started to play defense again in a 56-55 win over Michigan State.

Northwestern might be scoring a bit more, but it can’t guard anything from three.

The Wildcats are getting bombed on way too easily, and now comes Illinois – no one in the Big Ten jacks up more from the outside.

It’s a bad combination. Illinois will shoot a lot of threes, Northwestern is just okay on the boards, there will be too many second chance points, and …

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Why Northwestern Will Win

Illinois turns the ball over way, way too much.

Northwestern might not do a whole lot right overall defensively, and it’s not good at getting to the free throw line, but it’s careful with the ball and doesn’t give up a ton of easy baskets. It makes the possessions count, for the most part.

Yeah, Illinois was strong against Michigan State defensively a few days ago, but the defense couldn’t keep Maryland from scoring, and Purdue was fantastic from the outside.

Northwestern has to come up with the extra pass and hit the threes, it can’t get bogged down in a rebounding war, and …

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What’s Going To Happen

Northwestern has lost seven of its last eight games because it can’t seem to come up with the big basket or the big play at the right time.

It’s also losing because the offense can’t keep up in shootouts of any kind.

The Wildcats might be a whole lot better offensively, but they’re 0-9 on the year when allowing more than 67 points, and 9-0 when it doesn’t.

Illinois has been held to under 67 points just four times. That’s not happening in Evanston.

Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction, Lines

Illinois 77, Northwestern 67
Line: Illinois -3, o/u: 140.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 4

Must See Rating: 2.5

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Illinois vs. Northwestern Prediction, Game Preview

Illinois vs. Northwestern prediction, game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win this Saturday.

Illinois vs. Northwestern prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, November 27


Illinois vs. Northwestern How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 27
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
How To Watch: Big Ten Network
Record: Illinois (4-7), Northwestern (3-8)
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Illinois vs Northwestern Game Preview


Why Northwestern Will Win

The Northwestern offense has a whole lot of problems, but that’s okay – Illinois doesn’t really score.

The Illini got 23 in the loss to Iowa last week, and that was a stretch. This is a grinding team that wants to keep the score around 17-14, and that fits the Wildcats just fine.

Northwestern will be slow and go, and as long as it can stay conservative and not force anything with the passing game, this will be close in the fourth quarter. The game will never get away from the offense.

But, really …

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Why Illinois Will Win

Northwestern just doesn’t score. At all.

It hasn’t pushed past 14 points in any of the last five games and isn’t going to get into the 20s unless something crazy happens.

Illinois isn’t going to do anything wacky, mainly because it’s not able to. Run, run, and run some more on a Wildcat defensive front that allowed 260 yards or more in three of four games before getting a Purdue team that threw for a bazillion yards.

Keep it conservative, own the ground game, win the turnover battle. Illinois can do that, and …

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What’s Going To Happen

There’s still a distant outside chance that Illinois can go bowling at 5-7 if a whole lot of bowl slots are open and the games need someone based on the Academic Progress Rate. For now, just beating Northwestern would be a big deal for the program.

Don’t expect any fireworks. The game will go by in a snap as both teams keep the clock moving, but Illinois will be +2 in turnover margin and get just a little more going with its ground game.

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Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction, Lines

Illinois 23, Northwestern 16
Line: Illinois -6.5, o/u: 43.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 2.5

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Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats prediction and college basketball game preview.

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats prediction and college basketball game preview.


Illinois vs Northwestern Broadcast

Date: Tuesday, February 16
Game Time: 9:00 ET
Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, IL
Network: BTN

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Illinois (14-5) vs Northwestern (6-12) Game Preview

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Why Northwestern Will Win

The Cats have to hope that Illinois is deep into the dog days of the finishing kick and stays a bit off.

Illinois got pushed way too hard by Nebraska.

The Huskers have been struggling all year, but they were able to stay alive in the loss on Friday by doing a great job on the boards and by getting to the free throw line.

Northwestern has to somehow get to the line more. It doesn’t do a ton on the glass and it doesn’t draw nearly enough fouls, but it’s okay on the line and it comes up with enough threes to put the pressure on.

Illinois isn’t all that great at defending the three, but …

Why Illinois Will Win

There wasn’t a problem in the 81-56 win over the Wildcats back in early January.

The Illini were great from the field, Northwestern couldn’t hit anything, and it got really, really ugly on the boards.

Northwestern doesn’t rebound, it doesn’t force mistakes, and even though it can hit from the outside, it doesn’t do enough on the inside.

What’s Going To Happen

Illinois will overcome a sluggish first half by rebounding everything in the second, coming up with plenty of easy points, and by hitting enough on the inside to keep pulling ahead as the game goes on.

Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction, Line

Illinois 78, Northwestern 65
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Illinois -14, o/u: 145.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 2

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