Saturday, February 13, 2016

Welsh Ryan Arena

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Illinois Fighting Illini travel to Welsh Ryan Arena to play the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday, February 13, 2016. The opening line for this game has Northwestern as 6.5 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 144.

The Fighting Illini come into this game with an overall record of 11-13 and a road record of 2-4. They are 10-11 against the spread and their over/under record is 11-10. The Wildcats have an overall record of 16-9 and a home record of 11-4. They have an over/under record of 12-9 and they are 9-11 against the spread.

Malcolm Hill comes into this contest averaging 18.9 points per game while playing 35.5 minutes per night so far this season for the Fighting Illini. He pulls down 6.3 rebounds per game and dishes out 3.3 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 44% while his free throw percentage is currently at 82%. Kendrick Nunn averages 16.7 points per game in 35.2 minutes per contest this season. He averages 1.8 assists per contest and 5.5 rebounds per game for Illinois. His field goal percentage is 42% for the year while his free throw percentage is 77%.

Bryant McIntosh averages 14.8 points per game while playing 35.4 minutes per contest this year for the Wildcats. He grabs 3.5 rebounds per game and has 6.6 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 43% and his free throw percentage currently is at 85%. Tre Demps averages 14.7 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 36.8 minutes per contest. He also averages 3.4 rebounds per contest and 3.6 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 38% and his free throw percentage is 69%.

Illinois averages 74.1 points per contest this season which ranks them 141st in the nation. Their average scoring margin is -2.2 and their shooting percentage is 43% as a team which has them ranked 204th. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 123rd in the country. They average 32.3 rebounds per game and 13.7 assists per game which ranks them 311th and 143rd in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 11th with 10.1 per game. The Fighting Illini allow 76.2 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 271st in the nation. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 38% average from behind the arc ranking them 288th and 313th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 38.2 rebounds a game which ranks 284th and they give up 14.6 assists per contest which puts them in 275th place in the country. They force 13.5 turnovers per game which ranks them 112th in the Division 1.

Northwestern averages 72.7 points per game this year which ranks them 172nd in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 6.1 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them sitting in the 103rd spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 152nd in the nation. They average 37.3 rebounds per game and 16.1 assists per contest which ranks them 110th and 31st respectively. In the turnover department the Wildcats rank 20th with 10.6 per game. The Wildcats allow 66.6 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 46th in the country. They also allow a 41% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 43rd and 159th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 34.6 rebounds a game which ranks 110th and they give up 14.4 assists per contest which puts them in 253rd place in the nation. The Wildcats force 10.8 turnovers per game which ranks them 317th in college basketball.

The Fighting Illini average 74.7 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 76.7 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -3.1 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is -3.7 per contest. The Fighting Illini have an offensive rating of 103.3 and they assist on 53.3% of their shots. In terms of pace they average 69.9 possessions per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 50%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 54% and they shoot 3 pointers on 38% of their shots. Illinois turns the ball over an average of 12.9 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 7.4% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 45.8% while their offensive rebound percentage is 21.2%. The Fighting Illini give up 77.8 points per game on the road this season and they have surrendered 80.3 points per contest in their last 3 games.

The Wildcats score 74.5 ppg at home and they have averaged 72 points per contest in their last 3 games.They have an average scoring differential of 0.7 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 11.6 points per game. The Wildcats have a rating on offense of 109.7 and 61.6% of their shots are assisted. They possess the ball 65 times per 40 minutes and their effective field goal percentage for the year is 52%. As an offensive unit they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they attempt 3 pointers on 42% of their shots. Northwestern turns it over an average of 13.8 times per 100 possessions and they steal the ball on 6.3% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage is 51.9% while their offensive rebound percentage for the season is 30.8%. The Wildcats give up 62.9 points per contest at home this year and they have given up 71.3 points per game in their past 3 contests.

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 10-11 against the spread

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 11-10 against the over/under

Northwestern Wildcats Betting Trends

The Northwestern Wildcats are 9-11 against the spread

The Northwestern Wildcats are 12-9 against the over/under

Illinois Fighting Illini Injuries

12/20/15 F Leron Black Knee out indefinitely
11/14/15 G Tracy Abrams Achilles out for season
02/07/16 F Mike Thorne Jr. Knee "?"
02/06/16 F Michael Finke Knee "?" Sunday vs. Iowa

Northwestern Wildcats Injuries

11/11/15 F Vic Law Shoulder out for season

Tony's Pick: Take Illinois

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink