A Big Ten battle is set for Thursday night when the #21 Northwestern Wildcats (20-7, 11-5 in Big Ten) visit the Illinois Fighting Illini (18-9, 9-7). According to Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, Northwestern is currently the sixth seed in the West region and Illinois is a seven seed in the South. Below is my college basketball pick for Northwestern vs Illinois.
Northwestern vs Illinois Betting Pick
| ℹ️ The Pick: | Illinois -4.0 |
| ? Recommended Sportsbook Promo: | Second Chance Bet up to $500 at BetRivers |
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This game will be played at State Farm Center at 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 23, 2023.
Why Bet Illinois -4.0
✅ Illinois is 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games played.
✅ The Fighting Illini are 8-1 in their last nine games at home.
✅ Northwestern is 0-6 in their last six games at Illinois.
NCAABB
Northwestern Wildcats
Illinois Fighting Illini
Team Stats Per Game
Advanced Game Stats
Offense/Defense
| NW | Advanced Game Stats | ILL |
|---|---|---|
| 65.8 | Pace | 75.4 |
| 112.1 | Off.Rate | 92.5 |
| .353 | FTr | .245 |
| .308 | 3PAr | .353 |
| .554 | TS% | .464 |
| 55.0 | TRB% | 41.7 |
| 56.5 | AST% | 44.9 |
| 12.5 | STL% | 8.3 |
| 10.7 | BLK% | 9.3 |
| .524 | eFG% | .444 |
| 14.3 | TOV% | 12.3 |
| 36.3 | ORB% | 23.5 |
| .247 | TF/FGA | .149 |
Defense/Offense
| NW | Advanced Game Stats | ILL |
|---|---|---|
| 65.8 | Pace | 75.4 |
| 94.3 | Off.Rate | 117.7 |
| .315 | FTr | .455 |
| .378 | 3PAr | .534 |
| .512 | TS% | .577 |
| 45.0 | TRB% | 58.3 |
| 69.8 | AST% | 55.3 |
| 9.8 | STL% | 6.6 |
| 6.9 | BLK% | 12.6 |
| .489 | eFG% | .545 |
| 18.6 | TOV% | 13.7 |
| 25.7 | ORB% | 37.6 |
| .200 | TF/FGA | .312 |
Betting Trends
| NW | Betting Trends | ILL |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 3-0-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 1-2-0 |
| 3-0-0 | ATS W/L/P | 1-2-0 |
| 69.33 | Avg Score | 75.67 |
| 60 | Avg Opp Score | 77.67 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 2-1-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 3-0-0 |
| 2-1-0 | ATS W/L/P | 2-1-0 |
| 64.33 | Avg Score | 73 |
| 67 | Avg Opp Score | 61.67 |
| NW | Betting Trends | ILL |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 5-0-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 2-3-0 |
| 5-0-0 | ATS W/L/P | 3-2-0 |
| 66.2 | Avg Score | 75 |
| 59 | Avg Opp Score | 74.8 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 3-2-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 4-1-0 |
| 3-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 3-2-0 |
| 69.8 | Avg Score | 70.6 |
| 69.8 | Avg Opp Score | 65 |
| NW | Betting Trends | ILL |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 8-2-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 6-4-0 |
| 8-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 7-3-0 |
| 67.7 | Avg Score | 72 |
| 63.6 | Avg Opp Score | 68.1 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 6-4-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 8-2-0 |
| 6-4-0 | ATS W/L/P | 6-4-0 |
| 71.5 | Avg Score | 71.9 |
| 75.2 | Avg Opp Score | 63.3 |
Head to Head
Teams Last 10
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Northwestern Wildcats
Last time out, Northwestern hosted the Iowa Hawkeyes and were impressive in an 80-60 victory. The Wildcats came ready to play as they built an 11-point halftime advantage and never let that lead go away. An impressive win for the Wildcats and poor showing by the Hawkeyes. Northwestern led by as many as 24 points, never trailed in the game, and won outright as +2.5-point home underdogs.
Boo Buie had 23 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and one steal on the night. Ty Berry added 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in the win.
Through 27 games, Northwestern is scoring 68.5 points per game, shooting 41.1% from the field, and assisting on 13.3 made shots. The Wildcats are allowing 61.9 points, grabbing 34.6 rebounds, blocking 4.3 shots, and stealing the ball 8.0 times.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois welcomed the Minnesota Golden Gophers and comfortably won 78-69. The final score is not indicative of how this game went as the Fighting Illini led throughout and were never in danger of losing this one. Illinois led by as many as 16 points, never trailed in the game, and did not cover the -13.5-point favorite.
Matthew Mayer had 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the game. RJ Melendez added 10 points, 11 rebounds, and one block in the victory.
After 27 games, Illinois is scoring 75.0 points per game, shooting 45.5% from the field, and assisting on 12.9 made shots. The Fighting Illini are allowing 65.4 points, grabbing 38.5 rebounds, blocking 5.8 shots, and stealing the ball 6.9 times.
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