|
 The Illini have been dealing with injuries all year, which has
opened up time for players such as freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands to
get time, and Coleman-Lands has emerged by hitting 11 3-pointers in
his last two games. Of course, Malcolm Hill (18.9 points) and
Kendrick Nunn (16.7) are the main offensive weapons for coach John
Groce, whose team needs to get better defensively as they allow 76.2
points a game. Northwestern likes to shoot it from long range,
coming off a night when it hit 12 3-pointers against Ohio State.
Bryant McIntosh (14.8 points) and Tre Demps (14.7) pace the
Wildcats, and Aaron Falzon joins those two as top shooters as each
has made at least 40 3-pointers this season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
ABOUT ILLINOIS (11-13, 3-8 Big Ten): One area that the Illini have
struggled in is rebounding, which makes sense with the early season
loss of Mike Thorne Jr. to a knee injury and a recent ailment to
freshman Michael Finke that took him out of the lineup. Illinois
allows a Big Ten-worst 5.9 more boards than it grabs each game,
leading Groce to try to get everyone on the court to do their jobs
to help the team improve. "Rebounding was an issue," Groce told
reporters after Iowa had 12 offensive boards in a win over the
Illini on Sunday. "We've got to block out better. We've got to
pursue balls better. That's important to get cleaned up, obviously."
[to top of second column] |
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (16-9, 4-8): Sophomore Scottie Lindsey has been
up and down in his sophomore season, usually coming off the bench
for between 15 to 20 minutes and averaging 6.6 points. But after an
0-for-5 shooting night at Indiana led to a "DNP" against Michigan
State, Lindsey has rebounded well, averaging 10.3 points in his last
three outings, hitting 6-of-9 from 3-point range. "We need him,
there's no question about it," Northwestern coach Chris Collins told
reporters about the 6-5 swingman. "We need his scoring punch, we
need his energy. With his length, we need him to play defense and
rebound."
TIP-INS
1. Illinois C Maverick Morgan averaged 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds
over his last five games.
2. Northwestern freshman Dererk Pardon ranks second in the Big Ten
Conference with a .656 field goal percentage.
3. The Wildcats are among the nation's leaders with a 1.52
assist-to-turnover ratio, while the Illini are among the top teams
in the country in fewest turnovers at 10.2.
PREDICTION: Northwestern 75, Illinois 69
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