Illinois vs Northwestern Prediction & Picks - NCAA Men

Prediction published on 2/4/26, 5:19 PM  by Travis Pulver | Modified on 2/10/26 at 6:25 AM in Basketball Picks

The No. 5 Illinois Fighting Illini will try to extend their winning streak to 12 tonight when they host the Northwestern Wildcats (10-12, 2-9 Big Ten) at the State Farm Center in Champaign, IL. Fans can follow the action as it unfolds on the Big Ten Network once the game gets underway at 9 p.m. EST.

Illinois hit a few roadblocks early on in the season when they faced No. 11 Alabama, No. 5 UConn, and No. 23 Nebraska, but have won 11 in a row since their last loss (to Nebraska, 83-80), including wins over No. 19 Iowa, No. 4 Purdue, and No. 5 Nebraska in their last game on Sunday. They rank in the top four in the conference in several categories, including scoring (offense 2nd, defense 4th), rebounds (offense 1st, defense 3rd), free-throw percentage (1st), blocks (3rd), etc. As for Northwestern, the Wildcats' season is a different story. Since opening the season with four consecutive wins, they’ve struggled to string wins together. They lost their first seven conference games before finally getting a win over USC on January 21, 74-68. The Wildcats last played on Saturday when they lost to Washington at home, 76-62.