Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 2/23/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: ESPN+

State Farm Center is the site where the Illinois Fighting Illini (18-9) will try to beat the Northwestern Wildcats (20-7) on Thursday.

The Northwestern Wildcats played Iowa and earned the victory with a final of 80-60 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Wildcats left the arena with 17 while Iowa had 16 personal fouls. They buried 3 of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc. Iowa went 68.8% from the free throw line by making 11 of 16 attempts. Moreover, Iowa snagged 33 boards (8 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Iowa doled out 13 dimes and had 6 steals in this contest. With respect to the defense, Northwestern let their opponent shoot 42.6% from the floor on 23 of 54 shooting. They also recorded 15 assists in this game as well as forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and having 9 steals. Concerning pulling down boards, they collected 29 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Wildcats made 16 of their 20 attempts for a rate of 80.0%. Northwestern finished with a 49.1% field goal percentage (27 out of 55) and knocked down 10 of their 20 shots from beyond the arc.

Boo Buie is one player who was a major factor for the matchup. He finished shooting 54.5% from the field and totaled 8 assists. He was on the hardwood for 36 mins played and also totaled 4 boards. He finished with 23 points on 6 out of 11 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Tonight

Northwestern enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 20-7 on the season. They are turning it over 10.0 times per game and as a unit they commit 16.1 fouls per game. As a team, Northwestern is snagging 34.6 boards per game and has totaled 358 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 212th in the country in terms of passing. The Wildcats are hitting 31.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (206 of 648) and 75.2% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 68.5 points per game (265th in the country) while hitting 41.1% from the field.

Defensively, the Wildcats have forced 14.4 turnovers per game while drawing 16.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 220th in Division 1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 366 surrendered this season. The Wildcats defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 40.6% (582 of 1,432) and they relinquish 34.9 rebounds per game as a group. They surrender 33.1% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 17th in the nation in PPG from their opponents (61.9).

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini took home the win by a final score of 78-69 when they played Minnesota. When it comes to team rebounding, Illinois permitted Minnesota to pull down 32 in total (6 on the offensive side). They went 35.3% from three-point range by shooting 6 out of 17 and finished the game at 9 out of 15 from the free throw line (60.0%). The Fighting Illini allowed Minnesota to make 27 of their 57 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 47.4% in the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Fighting Illini finished 27 out of 56 from the floor which had them at 48.2%. Concerning 3-point attempts, Illinois buried 10 of 26 attempts (38.5%). They were able to convert 14 of those for a percentage of 53.8%. Minnesota earned 19 fouls in this matchup which took the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for a total of 26 attempts. They turned it over 8 times, while getting 4 steals for this game. The Fighting Illini were able to pull down 27 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 37 in this game.

Matthew Mayer was important for the Fighting Illini in the game. He recorded 22 points in his 34 minutes on the court and totaled 2 assists in the game. He buried 7 out of 14 in the game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and tallied 7 rebounds.

Illinois has a mark of 18-9 so far this year. The Fighting Illini are responsible for committing 16.6 fouls per contest and they hit 67.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 12.9 times per contest (210th in the country) and they turn the ball over 13.1 times per game. Illinois has accounted for 2,025 pts for the campaign (75.0 per game) and they grab 38.5 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Fighting Illini are hitting on 45.5% from the floor, which ranks them 131st in college basketball.

The Fighting Illini defensively are ranked 60th in college basketball in PPG given up with 65.4. They have forced 13.3 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 40.9% from the floor (43rd in D-1). The Illinois defense concedes 33.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (160 of 483) and their opponents are converting on 70.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 11.0 assists and 33.0 total rebounds per game, which is 55th and 117th in those categories on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn'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