Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 2/4/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Sunday, February 4, 2024

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: BTN

State Farm Center is the site where the Illinois Fighting Illini (16-5) will go up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (16-6) on Sunday.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers stepped onto the hardwood against Wisconsin and notched a win by a score of 80-72 in their last contest. Nebraska ended the game having earned a 44.8% field goal percentage (26 of 58) and converted 9 of 27 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Cornhuskers knocked down 19 of 26 shots for a percentage of 73.1%. In the matter of getting rebounds, they earned 34 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 15 assists for this contest as well as forcing 16 turnovers and having 9 steals. In terms of the defense, Nebraska allowed their opponent to shoot 42.2% from the field on 27 out of 64 shooting. Wisconsin distributed 8 dimes and had 8 steals for this contest. Moreover, Wisconsin grabbed 39 rebounds (9 offensive, 30 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Wisconsin finished the contest at 66.7% at the charity stripe by making 8 of 12 shots. They also buried 10 out of their 31 shots from distance. With respect to fouls, the Cornhuskers ended up with 13 and Wisconsin recorded 18 fouls.

C.J. Wilcher is one player who was a major factor in the matchup. He ended up walking away with 22 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 27 mins and also collected 1 board. He finished 70.0% from the floor and also recorded 3 dimes.

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Nebraska comes into this contest with a mark of 16-6 so far this year. They average 77.4 pts per contest (96th in the country) while hitting 45.0% from the field. The Cornhuskers are connecting on 36.3% on three-point shots (210 of 579) and 75.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Nebraska is collecting 38.2 rebounds per game and has tallied 348 assists on the campaign, which ranks 34th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 11.4 times per game and as a unit are committing 14.8 personal fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Cornhuskers have forced 11.5 turnovers per game while drawing 16.5 fouls. They are ranked 264th in D-1 in giving up assists with 294 conceded for the campaign. The Cornhuskers are giving up a shooting percentage of 40.3% (558 of 1,384) and they concede 36.6 rebounds per contest as a group. They concede 33.1% on shots from distance and they rank 134th in college basketball in PPG allowed (70.2).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Illinois Fighting Illini went home victorious with a score of 87-75 when they faced Ohio State. Concerning rebounding, Illinois permitted Ohio State to collect 25 in total (6 offensive). They went 33.3% from distance by going 4 out of 12 and finished the game at 11 out of 15 from the free throw line (73.3%). The Fighting Illini allowed Ohio State to convert 30 out of 60 tries from the field which had them shooting 50.0% for the contest. Overall, the Fighting Illini shot 31 out of 60 from the field which gave them a rate of 51.7%. Pertaining to shooting from distance, Illinois knocked down 7 of 17 tries (41.2%). They were able to knock down 18 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 90.0%. Ohio State committed 18 personal fouls in this game which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for a total of 20 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 6 times, while getting 2 steals for this contest. The Fighting Illini were able to collect 22 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for the game.

Marcus Domask ended up having an impact for the Fighting Illini in this contest. He accumulated 23 points in his 35 mins on the court and totaled 2 assists in this contest. He converted 7 of 12 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and totaled 3 rebounds.

Illinois has a mark of 16-5 for the year. The Fighting Illini commit 14.2 personal fouls every game and they connect on 72.6% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.8 times per game (222nd in college basketball) and they cough up possession 11.1 times per game. Illinois has scored 1,729 points for the campaign (82.3 per contest) and they collect 42.9 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Fighting Illini are connecting on 46.3% from the floor, which ranks 100th in the country.

The Illinois defense allows 31.5% on shots from distance (119 of 378) and their opponents are converting on 68.5% of their free throw shots. They have given up 10.8 assists and 33.4 rebounds every game, which ranks 37th and 104th in college hoops. The Fighting Illini on the defensive side of the court are 107th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 69.0. They have forced 9.4 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.9% from the floor (53rd in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Illinois

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