Northwestern vs Illinois 1/29/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Illinois Fighting Illini (14-5) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (9-9)
January 29, 2022 4:30 pm EDT
The Line: Northwestern Wildcats +3 / Illinois Fighting Illini -3; Over/Under: -146.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Illinois Fighting Illini and Northwestern Wildcats meet Saturday in college basketball action at the Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Illinois Fighting Illini look for a win after winning seven of their last nine games. The Northwestern Wildcats look to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Illinois Fighting Illini are averaging 78.1 points on 46 percent shooting and allowing 66.3 points on 40.1 percent shooting. Kofi Cockburn is averaging 21.1 points and 11.8 rebounds, while Alfonso Plummer is averaging 16.2 points and 2.6 rebounds. Trent Frazier is the third double-digit scorer and Jacob Grandison is grabbing 3.8 rebounds. The Illinois Fighting Illini are shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc and 72.5 percent from the free throw line. The Illinois Fighting Illini are allowing 32.3 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 38 rebounds per game.
The Northwestern Wildcats are averaging 76.2 points on 44.3 percent shooting and allowing 68.9 points on 41.5 percent shooting. Pete Nance is averaging 16 points and 7.2 rebounds, while Boo Buie is averaging 14.9 points and 2.7 rebounds. Chase Audige is the third double-digit scorer and Ryan Young is grabbing 4.5 rebounds. The Northwestern Wildcats are shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc and 72.7 percent from the free throw line. The Northwestern Wildcats are allowing 36.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.2 rebounds per game.
The Fighting Illini are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Saturday games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Wildcats are 16-33-2 ATS in their last 51 home games and 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games overall. The over is 11-3-1 in Fighting Illini last 15 overall. The over is 5-2 in Wildcats last 7 overall. The road team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
The Northwestern Wildcats have to prove they’re ready for the big stage before I can back them in these sorts of spots. It doesn’t help that Northwestern have gone into a hole offensively and is losing its last five games by an average of 6.6 points. The Illinois Fighting Illini win as a favorite by an average of 13.2 points, and they’re simply the better, more talented team. I’ll lay the bucket.
