Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats Prediction, 1/24/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL

TV: BTN

Welsh-Ryan Arena is the site where the Northwestern Wildcats (13-5) will take on the Illinois Fighting Illini (14-4) on Wednesday.

The Illinois Fighting Illini faced Rutgers and went home with a win by a final score of 86-63 in their last game. In the matter of personal fouls, the Fighting Illini ended up with 12 and Rutgers recorded 19 personal fouls. They converted 3 of their 14 attempts from 3-point range. Rutgers finished the contest at 72.7% at the charity stripe by converting 8 of 11 tries. Moreover, Rutgers collected 30 boards (9 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. Rutgers doled out 8 assists and had 7 steals for the game. When discussing defense, Illinois let their opponent shoot 37.7% from the floor on 26 out of 69 shooting. They also recorded 17 dimes in the matchup while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In terms of getting rebounds, they collected 43 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Fighting Illini made 16 of their 27 tries for a rate of 59.3%. Illinois ended the contest with a 50.8% field goal percentage (32 of 63) and knocked down 6 out of their 27 three-point attempts.

Justin Harmon is a player who was a major contributor for this game. He racked up 18 points on 8 out of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 29 minutes played and also grabbed 8 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 61.5% from the floor and also recorded 1 assist.

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Illinois heads into this one with a mark of 14-4 on the campaign. They average 82.3 points per game (27th in college hoops) while going 46.9% from the floor. The Fighting Illini are connecting on 33.7% on three-point attempts (150 of 445) and 72.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Illinois is pulling down 43.1 boards per game and has racked up 238 assists for the season, which has them ranked 236th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 11.6 times per contest and as a squad they commit 13.9 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Fighting Illini are forcing their opponents into 9.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.7 personal fouls. They give up 30.7% on shots from distance and they rank 86th in college basketball in points per game from their opponents (67.5). The Fighting Illini defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 39.4% (463 of 1,176) and they surrender 33.7 rebounds per game as a team. They are currently ranked 26th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 192 relinquished on the campaign.

When they last played, the Northwestern Wildcats took a defeat with a final score of 75-69 against Nebraska. The Wildcats pulled down 15 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards totaling 26 for the matchup. They also turned it over 7 times, while getting 13 steals in the matchup. Nebraska was called for 16 fouls in this contest which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for 17 shots. They were able to convert 11 of those for a clip of 64.7%. When it comes to shots from distance, Northwestern knocked down 10 out of their 31 tries (32.3%). In all, the Wildcats finished shooting 24 out of 63 from the floor which had them shooting 38.1%. The Wildcats permitted Nebraska to make 26 out of their 47 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 55.3% for the game. They went 53.8% from distance by connecting on 7 out of 13 and ended up going 16 of 20 at the free throw line (80.0%). In the matter of attacking the glass, Northwestern allowed Nebraska to get 36 overall (6 offensive).

Brooks Barnhizer was important for the Wildcats for this game. He made 9 out of 15 in this contest giving him a rate of 60.0%, and had 7 rebounds. He earned 24 points in his 37 mins on the court and accounted for 4 assists for this game.

Northwestern has a win-loss mark of 13-5 this year. The Wildcats have committed 17.3 personal fouls every game and they connect on 72.6% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 16.2 times per game (39th in Division 1) and they turn the ball over 9.2 times per contest. Northwestern has tallied 1,309 points on the campaign (72.7 per contest) and they grab 30.2 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Wildcats are shooting 46.3% from the floor, which is 103rd in college basketball.

The Wildcats defensively are ranked 85th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 67.4. They are forcing 14.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.0% from the floor (282nd in college hoops). The Northwestern defense gives up 35.8% on 3-pointers (126 of 352) and opponents are knocking down 74.4% of their foul shots. They have allowed 13.1 assists and 32.9 boards every game, which is ranked 199th and 80th in the nation.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northwestern

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