- Matchup: Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini
- Scheduled Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
- Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, IL
- Broadcast: ESPN+
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This Wednesday, the Northwestern Wildcats (10-12) will be visiting the State Farm Center aiming for a victory against the Illinois Fighting Illini (19-3).
In their most recent game, the Northwestern Wildcats faced Washington and suffered a defeat, ending with a score of 76-62. In terms of fouls, the Wildcats committed 11, while Washington had 17. Northwestern successfully converted 10 of their 22 attempts from three-point range. Washington shot 75.0% from the charity stripe, hitting 6 out of 8 attempts. They accumulated 40 rebounds (14 offensive and 26 defensive) but did not achieve any blocks. Washington recorded 15 assists and 7 steals during the match. Defensively, Northwestern permitted their opponents to shoot 46.2% from the field with 30 out of 65 shots made. They gathered 27 rebounds, including 7 offensive ones, and finished the contest with a free throw success rate of 72.2% by sinking 13 of 18 attempts. The Wildcats closed the game with a field goal percentage of 38.6%, making 22 out of 57, and 5 out of 19 from beyond the arc.
Nick Martinelli emerged as a key player, scoring 19 points on 6 of 14 shooting. He played for 37 minutes and secured 9 rebounds while assisting once.
Northwestern enters this game with a record of 10-12 for the season. They are averaging 76.6 points per game, ranking 180th in college basketball, while shooting 46.8% from the floor. The Wildcats have a three-point shooting percentage of 32.0% (140 out of 438) and a free throw percentage of 74.3%. As a unit, they grab an average of 33.0 rebounds per game and have accumulated 397 assists, placing them 25th for assists nationally. They commit 8.6 turnovers and average 17.7 fouls per game.
Defensively, the Wildcats force an average of 11.0 turnovers while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They allow opponents to shoot 31.4% from beyond the arc and rank 134th in the nation with opponents scoring an average of 72.0 points per game. Northwestern’s defense allows a field goal percentage of 43.0% (548 out of 1,274), and they concede an average of 35 rebounds per matchup, operating at 278th in the nation in assists allowed, totaling 331 for the season.
In their last outing, the Illinois Fighting Illini secured a victory against Nebraska, with a final score of 78-69. They captured 19 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 31. The Fighting Illini had 7 turnovers while racking up 3 steals. Nebraska committed 19 personal fouls, leading to 26 free throw attempts for Illinois, of which they converted 21 for an 80.8% success rate. From three-point range, Illinois made 30% of their attempts, sinking 9 of 30. Overall, they shot 44.4% from the field, with 24 successful shots out of 54. Nebraska managed to shoot 42.4% from the field, making 25 out of 59 attempts, and successfully made 15 out of 35 three-point tries, achieving a 42.9% rate, along with a free throw conversion of 80% by hitting 4 of 5 attempts. Illinois allowed Nebraska a total of 30 rebounds, including 9 offensive rebounds.
Tomislav Ivisic was instrumental for the Fighting Illini in this game, scoring 12 points over 32 minutes while providing 3 assists. He shot 71.4%, converting 5 of 7 attempts, and collected 8 rebounds.
Illinois boasts a strong record of 19-3 this season. The Fighting Illini average 12.8 personal fouls per game and excel at the free throw line with a percentage of 78.9%. They average 14.5 assists per game (ranking 159th in D-1) and have a low turnover count of 9.4 per game. Illinois has scored a total of 1,862 points this season (averaging 84.6 per game) and averages 41.2 rebounds per game. The Fighting Illini’s field goal shooting stands at 46.8%, placing them 99th in Division 1.
The defense of Illinois holds opponents to a 32.1% shooting percentage from three-point range (185 out of 577) and 70.8% from the free throw line. They concede 13.0 assists and 30.4 rebounds per game, ranking 147th and 16th nationally respectively. The Fighting Illini are positioned 51st in college basketball for points allowed per game, averaging 68.2. They force 8.0 turnovers per game and permit teams a field goal shooting percentage of 40.6% (39th in college).
Which team will prevail in this NCAA matchup against the spread?
Prediction: Take Northwestern
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