Illinois vs. Northwestern Pick
Will Illinois open up Big Ten play with an upset win over Northwestern when the two teams meet tonight at 9PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Northwestern is favored at home tonight, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -6.5 points against Illinois. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 148.5 points. Tonight’s game takes place from Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois and will air live on the Big Ten Network.
Illinois is coming off an 80-73 loss at Wake Forest earlier this week to fall to 6-1 on the season. The Illini is 2-2 against the spread this season, but 0-1 ATS on the road. Illinois is scoring 85.2 points per game this season while giving up 71.5 per game. Leron Black is leading Illinois with 14.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Michael Finke is adding 12.9 points and 6 rebounds per contest.
Northwestern is coming off a 52-51 buzzer-beater loss at Georgia Tech this week. The Wildcats are now 4-3 on the season and just 1-4 against the spread. Northwestern is putting up 72.1 points per game this season while allowing 70.6 per game. Bryant McIntosh is leading the team with 15.7 points and 5.7 assists per game while Scottie Lindsey is adding 15.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest. Lindsey is questionable for tonight’s game due to an ankle injury.
Bet on Illinois vs. Northwestern
Illinois has won four of the last five meetings with Northwestern, covering the spread in all five games. The injury to Lindsey is concerning, as he is a huge piece to the Wildcats. Northwestern has played the tougher schedule thus far, but hasn’t been very competitive in those losses. I think this game is going to be close throughout and Illinois can even win outright. The public betting is slightly with Northwestern, but I think the Illini is going to cover the spread.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: ILLINOIS +6.5