Northwestern is looking for revenge when they host Illinois on Wednesday night. The Fighting Illini defeated the Wildcats by 30 points without leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. Illinois is 9-1 over their last ten games against Northwestern. It is time to continue our men's college basketball odds series with an Illinois-Northwestern prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Illinois dropped two games since that blowout win over Northwestern, losing to Purdue and Maryland. They've bounced back since then, defeating Michigan and Rutgers convincingly. They defeated Michigan by 15 as 2.5-point favorites, then beat Rutgers by 23 as 11-point favorites. Illinois is in third place in the Big Ten, sitting a game behind first-place Wisconsin. They were given a boost by the return of Shannon Jr. on Sunday, who played 28 minutes. He was the second-leading-scorer, tallying 16 points, four assists, and one rebound. The Fighting Illini hope that Shannon can return to his 21.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assist pace before his suspension.

Illinois' blowout win over Northwestern doesn't tell the story of the Wildcats season. The Wildcats were 10-2 before the loss to Illinois, but that game has seemed to drop them into a funk. Northwestern is 3-3 in their last six games, including 2-4 against the spread. Northwestern sits just a game behind Illinois for third in the Big Ten, which would make a win in this game a boost to their conference chances. Their remaining Big Ten schedule features many struggling teams, as the Wildcats have their difficult games already out of the way. A win over Illinois to tie for third place and go one game back of Wisconsin for first place will put the Wildcats in a great position.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Illinois-Northwestern Odds

Illinois: -4.5 (-110)

Moneyline: –

Northwestern: +4.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

Over: 147.5 (-110)

Under: 147.5 (-110)

How to Watch Illinois vs. Northwestern 

Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT

TV: Big Ten Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win

As we saw in their previous matchup, the Illinois offense matches up well against the Northwestern defense. Illinois ranks 27th in the country, averaging 82.3 points per game. Meanwhile, Northwestern has some of the worst defensive metrics in Division I. They rank 279th in field goal percentage allowed, 318th in three-point, and 219th in allowing free throws.

Northwestern's offense shoots the ball efficiently, but their pace limits their opportunities. They rank 98th in field-goal percentage and 69th in three-point. However, they rank 238th in scoring offense, averaging 72.7 points per game. Illinois' defense ranks 85th, allowing 67.5 points per game. They also limit scoring effectively, holding their opponents to 39.4% field goal shooting and 30.7% three-point.

Why Northwestern Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Wildcats have a bizarre stat line on both sides of the ball. They are terrible at defending from percentage-allowed metrics but are 84th in scoring defense, allowing 67.4 points per game. On offense, they are highly efficient but have the 238th-worst scoring offense. This is from their slow pace on offense, which will help them stay close in this game. Their previous matchup got away from the Wildcats, but they will have a better chance of keeping the Illinois offense at bay on home court.

Final Illinois-Northwestern Prediction & Pick

Illinois showed in the previous matchup they can blow out the Wildcats at home. It will be more challenging on the road, but the Fighting Illini will have their leading scorer back for this matchup. Illinois is a difficult matchup for the Wildcats, and they aren't accustomed to the pace at which the Fighting Illini play. Illinois put up 96 points on Northwestern in their last game, and they may be able to score even more with Shannon Jr. back.

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Final Illinois-Northwestern Prediction & Pick: Illinois -4.5 (-110)