The FAU Owls and the Illinois Fighting Illini meet in college basketball action from Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. A marquee matchup from MSG on Tuesday, who comes out on top? Let’s dive in and give out an FAU vs. Illinois Prediction.

FAU Owls Team Preview

The FAU Owls come into this one looking to build on their 5-game win streak after a 90-74 win over Charleston last time out. Vladislav Goldin leads the Owls in scoring and rebounding with 15.4 PPG and 7.1 RPG while Johneil Davis has 13.6 PPG with 6.8 RPG and Alijah Martin has 13.5 PPG with 5.1 RPG. Nicholas Boyd has 10.7 PPG with 3 RPG and 3.3 APG to cap off the scoring in double figures for FAU in the win while Bryan Greenlee also has 9 PPG with a team-high 3.6 APG to lead the Owls in the assist department this season. As a team, FAU is averaging 83.9 PPG on 50.7% shooting from the field, 38.4% from three and 70.7% from the foul line this season.

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Illinois Fighting Illini Team Preview

The Illinois Fighting Illini come into this one looking to build on their 4-game win streak after a 76-58 win over Rutgers last time out. Terrence Shannon Jr. leads the Illini in scoring with 20 PPG along with 2.9 APG as the lone double-digit scorer for Illinois up to this point in the year while also leading the Illini in assists. Quincy Guerrier leads the Fighting Illini on the glass with 7.6 RPG this season while Dain Dainja and Marcus Domask each have 9+ PPG and 5.1 RPG as well this season. Like Goode also has 8.9 PPG with 4.9 RPG as well on the year. As a team, Illinois is averaging 77.6 PPG on 46.5% shooting from the field, 32.8% from three and 57.8% from the foul line this season. Illinois is 6-1 in the Big Ten and has the same record as Indiana and Northwestern.

FAU vs. Illinois Prediction

I’m backing FAU here. I’ve been a bit bullish with the Owls and hesitant to back them because I’ve wondered if the other shoe was going to drop, but outside of the loss to Bryant earlier this year, the Owls have passed every test and done so with flying colors. Illinois is a solid team that’s probably going dancing in March, but FAU has been rolling since they did just that last season and I have to side with them here on a neutral floor.