Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/06/2024

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Friday, December 6, 2024

Venue:  Welsh Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL 

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Illinois -3, Northwestern +3; Over/Under:  144 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Illinois -3, Northwestern +3; Over/Under:  144 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Illinois -3, Northwestern +3; Over/Under:  144 points

Illinois Fighting Illini:  6-1 (0-0) (10th place, Big Ten)

Northwestern Wildcats:  6-3 (0-1) (14th place, Big Ten)

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Illinois Fighting Illini:  4-1  last 5

Northwestern Wildcats:  3-2  last 5

Illinois is entering this game with a 6-1 record overall, a 0-0 record in conference games, and they are 0-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Arkansas Razorbacks in their last game. Kasparas Jakučionis led the team in points per game in that game with 23 while Tomislav Ivišić was next on the team with 21. Kylan Boswell led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Tomislav Ivišić led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 52.6% from the field, 48.4% from 3-point range, and 68.2% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 89.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 61.4 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 5-2 this season and their O/U record is 3-4.

Northwestern is entering this game with a 6-3 record overall, a 0-1 conference record, and they are 5-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes in their last game. Brooks Barnhizer led the team in points in that game with 21 while Ty Berry was next on the team with 20. Nick Martinelli and Ty Berry each led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Brooks Barnhizer led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 48.3% from the field, 38.1% from 3-point range, and 81.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 73.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 64.4 PPG against them. Northwestern has an ATS record of 3-5-1 this season and their O/U record is 5-4.

The current betting odds have Northwestern listed as a 3 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Northwestern has looked good in their games this season with their 6-3 record overall, but they are 0-1 in their conference games and that has them much lower in the Big Ten. They are coming off a loss to Iowa in their last one, but that was a tight road game, losing by 1 point in the end. Meanwhile, Illinois has looked really good in their games this season with their 6-1 record overall which has them in the top half of the Big Ten, but they haven't played in a conference game this season. They have played against some good opponents, but this is their first conference game of the year and it is also their first true road game. Illinois is ranked inside the top 25, but Northwestern is going to bring their best effort for a ranked team at home. They have also looked a lot better in their home games this year with their 5-0 home record. Northwestern has the advantage of being at home after already playing a conference game this season while Illinois has not, and Northwestern is going to be looking to bounce back in a big way after such a close loss in their last one. The best way to place a bet here is on Northwestern to cover the spread in this game. 

Illinois Northwestern Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, December 6, 2024 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Northwestern 83 Illinois 79.

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Illinois Fighting Illini: 3-6 1H ATS in a road game where the total is 140 to 149.5. 11-20 1H ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 20-30 1H ATS versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing 14 turnovers/game or less. 11-6 OVER after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 21-12 OVER after scoring 85 points or more. 12-5 OVER after 3 or more consecutive wins.

Northwestern Wildcats: 22-12 ATS as an underdog. 12-6 ATS off a loss against a conference rival. 30-19 ATS versus teams who are called for 17 or less fouls/game. 10-2 OVER off a road loss. 9-2 OVER off a road loss against a conference rival. 4-1 OVER versus good foul drawing teams - attempting 25 free throws/game or more.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  None.

Northwestern Wildcats:  None.

"It was well-rounded. It was ball movement. It was the next actions. That's a top-10 defense. I think they were 10th in defensive efficiency coming in. To do it with multiple guys and the spacing and to do it in different ways… When you can keep the floor spread and get downhill, it's modern basketball today. We recruited to it and we've got guys who can do it. Hopefully, we continue to keep adding and keep growing." - Brad Underwood after his team’s win against Arkansas in their game on Thursday.

“The home court advantage is real, and I really thought last year in the league, I thought that they were maybe 3,4, 5 games, if you include the Dayton game, where we could have easily lost if our fans didn’t pull us through.” - Chris Collins on his team’s upcoming game against Illinois this week.

K. Boswell 

B. Humrichous 

T. Ivisic 

K. Jakucionis 

T. White

B. Barnhizer 

T. Berry 

J. Leach 

N. Martinelli 

M. Nicholson

PPG: T. Ivisic (16.3)

APG: K. Jakucionis (6)

Reb/G: T. Ivisic (8.9)

PPG: B. Barnhizer (20.2)

APG: B. Barnhizer (3.8)

Reb/G: B. Barnhizer (8.4)

Coaches:

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (8th season)

Northwestern Wildcats: Chris Collins (12th season)