Northwestern is taking the college basketball world by storm, winning four straight games, including victories against No. 5 Purdue and No. 17 Indiana. Now the Wildcats — who are up to No. 21 in the latest AP poll — will hit the road to face Illinois on Thursday, Feb. 23. The game is scheduled for 9 pm ET while airing on BTN. Illinois enters this game as 5.5-point favorites with the total set at 135.5. How will this one play out? Let’s dive into the Illinois vs. Northwestern predictions below.
Illinois vs. Northwestern Odds
- Spread: Illinois -5.5
- Total: 135.5
Odds via Betfred. Click here to redeem our exclusive Betfred Promo Code for $250 in free bets!
Game Info
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 23
- Time: 9 pm ET
- Location: State Farm Center — Champaign, IL
- TV: BTN
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Illinois Betting Trends
- Fighting Illini are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss.
- Under is 10-1 in Fighting Illini last 11 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Fighting Illini are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Northwestern Betting Trends
- Under is 6-0 in Wildcats last 6 overall.
- Underdog is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
- Under is 4-0 in Wildcats last 4 games following a straight up win.
Illinois vs. Northwestern Predictions
Northwestern beat Purdue and Indiana — two of the best teams in the Big Ten — at home in the last week. Did the Wildcats just have a good week, or are they for real? We are about to find out more on that front in this tricky road contest at Illinois. Northwestern has been a decent road team this season, winning two of its last three away from home. The Wildcats also won the first meeting against Illinois, prevailing 73-60 on Jan. 4.
Illinois has dropped three of its last five games, but all of those losses came away from home. In fact, the Fighting Illini have been a different team at home, winning four straight and covering three of them. Also, Illinois has leaned to the under in recent contests, as it is on a 5-3 trend in that regard.
Both teams get the job done with defense. Illinois ranks 29th in adjusted defensive efficiency and Northwestern is 22nd. The Wildcats have been very good at slowing down the tempo (ranks 285th in pace) in recent games, and you better believe they’ll look to enact that strategy again. Northwestern has gone under the total in six straight, and Illinois has gone under in five of its last eight. It seems likely those trends will continue to play out in this hard-fought game.
The Pick: Under 135.5 | -110 at BetFred Sportsbook
