The Northwestern Wildcats (10-2) travel to face off against the Illinois Fighting Illini (10-2) on Tuesday, January 2nd. This game will be played at State Farm Center in Champaign and televised on BTN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET.

Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini

The Northwestern Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win

As they prepare for their 13th game of the season, Northwestern currently holds a 10-2 record. Looking back at their previous three road games, which includes last year, Northwestern has gone 1-2 on the road. As for Northwestern’s performance vs. the spread, they currently stand at 5-5-2. This includes a 0-1-1 record on the road and a 5-4-1 record at home.

Looking at their over/under performance through 12 games, Northwestern has an over/under record of 5-7-0, with their games averaging 136 points per game on average. Over the course of the last five games, the Wildcats’ games have averaged 128 points per game, along with an over/under record of 2-3.

The Illinois Fighting Illini Are Coming Off A Win

Illinois, with a record of 10-2, will face Northwestern today. So far this season, all of the Fighting Illini’s games have been played on the road. Illinois’ performance against the spread heading into today’s game stands at 6-4-2. In their previous five games, the team has a 3-0-2 record vs. the spread.

Through 12 games, Illinois has an over/under record of 6-6-0 with their games averaging a combined 148.4 points per game so far. In their most recent three games, the Fighting Illini’s over/under record is 2-1, with their games averaging 158 points per game.

Northwestern Offense Breakdown

The Northwestern offense is coming off a game in which they scored 74 points vs. Jackson State. Overall their field goal percentage was 46.6% while connecting on 10 threes. The top scorer for the Wildcats was Ty Berry with 20 points, while Ryan Langborg also added 17 to the scoreboard.

Name	PPG	REB	AST
Boo Buie (G)	17.9	4.2	4.8
Brooks Barnhizer (G)	13.3	7.7	2.9
Ryan Langborg (G)	13.0	2.9	2.8

Illinois Offense Breakdown

Illinois is fresh off a strong offensive showing, putting up 104 points versus Fairleigh Dickinson. This output is higher than their season-average of 82.9 points per game. The top scorer for the Fighting Illini was Dain Dainja with 19 points, while Coleman Hawkins also added 18 to the scoreboard.

Name	PPG	REB	AST
Terrence Shannon Jr. (G)	21.7	4.5	2.5
Marcus Domask (F)	11.6	4.6	2.8
Quincy Guerrier (F)	10.8	7.2	0.2

Northwestern Team Defense

So far, the Wildcats’ defense is ranked 24th in the country at 63.1 points per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Northwestern’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 41.5% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 33.2% this season.

Illinois Team Defense

So far, the Fighting Illini’s defense is ranked 56th in the country at 65.5 points per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Illinois’ defense has allowed opponents to shoot 37.8% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 30.3% this season.

Wildcats vs Fighting Illini Trends

• Through their last ten road contests, the Wildcats offense has averaged 63 points per game while allowing an average of 63. Northwestern posted an overall record of 5-5 while going 6-3-1 ATS.
• When looking at their past three matchups at home, Illinois has an ATS record of 2-0-1 while averaging 84 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 2-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 3-2.
• As the betting favorite, the Fighting Illini have an ATS record of 4-0-1 in their last five games. In these matchups their, straight up record was 5-0.

Wildcats vs Fighting Illini Prediction

For today’s matchup we are recommending to take the Fighting Illini to secure the win, with an expected final score of 76-68. When it comes to the spread, we believe they’ll cover at -6.

As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 143.5, and our model projects the Wildcats and Fighting Illini to reach a combined total of 144 points. Our bet is on taking the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.