Illinois Fighting Illini vs Nebraska Cornhuskers Prediction, 2/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Nebraska Cornhuskers

Date: Sunday, February 1, 2026

Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE

TV: FS1

Pinnacle Bank Arena is where the Nebraska Cornhuskers (20-1) will go up against the Illinois Fighting Illini (18-3) on Sunday.

The Illinois Fighting Illini played Washington and took home the win by a score of 75-66 in their last contest. Illinois ended the game having earned a 42.9% field goal percentage (27 out of 63) and buried 11 out of their 33 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Fighting Illini converted 10 of their 16 attempts for a rate of 62.5%. When talking about pulling down rebounds, they earned 31 with 12 of them being offensive. They also doled out 13 dimes for the contest as well as creating 9 turnovers and getting 4 steals. When talking about the defense, Illinois allowed their opponent to shoot 44.8% from the floor on 26 of 58 shooting. Washington recorded 13 assists and had 3 steals for the game. Moreover, Washington grabbed 30 rebounds (9 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Washington walked away from this one shooting 100.0% when shooting free throws by burying 8 of 8 shots. They also buried 6 of their 23 tries from beyond the arc. In the matter of personal fouls, the Fighting Illini finished with 12 while Washington recorded 18 personal fouls.

Keaton Wagler is a player who played a role in this contest. He was able to score 22 points on 7 out of 13 shooting. He saw the court for 38 minutes and also collected 5 boards. He finished shooting 53.8% from the floor and also recorded 8 dimes.

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Illinois heads into this one with a mark of 18-3 on the year. They are averaging 85.0 points per game (36th in college hoops) while hitting 46.9% from the field. The Fighting Illini are shooting 35.9% on shots from downtown (232 of 647) and 78.8% from the charity stripe. As a team, Illinois is grabbing 41.2 boards per contest and is sitting with 304 dimes on the campaign, which is 178th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 9.5 times per game and as a group are committing 13.0 fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Fighting Illini are forcing 8.0 turnovers per game and they draw 19.8 personal fouls. They are ranked 121st in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 268 conceded this year. The Fighting Illini defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 40.6% (541 of 1,334) and they surrender 30.6 rebounds per contest as a team. They concede 31.4% from beyond the arc while they are 53rd in Division 1 in PPG allowed (68.2).

When they last stepped on the court, the Nebraska Cornhuskers went home defeated by a final of 75-72 against Michigan. The Cornhuskers pulled down 16 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 21 in the game. They coughed it up 11 times, while earning 13 steals for this contest. Michigan committed 11 fouls in this contest which got the Cornhuskers to the charity stripe for a total of 4 shots. They were able to bury 3 of them for a clip of 75.0%. Regarding three-point attempts, Nebraska buried 11 of their 32 attempts (34.4%). Overall, the Cornhuskers ended up shooting 29 out of 63 from the field which gave them a rate of 46.0%. The Cornhuskers allowed Michigan to convert 25 out of their 53 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 47.2% in the matchup. They shot 23.1% from three-point range by going 6 out of 26 and finished the game at 19 out of 23 from the free throw line (82.6%). With respect to team rebounding, Nebraska allowed Michigan to pull down 32 in total (8 offensive).

Jamarques Lawrence ended up being a major contributor for the Cornhuskers in the game. He made 8 of 15 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 53.3%, and had 3 rebounds. He accumulated 20 points in his 35 minutes on the court and tallied 4 assists in this contest.

Nebraska has a record of 20-1 for the year. As an offensive unit, the Cornhuskers are shooting 47.5% from the field, which is ranked 67th in the nation. Nebraska has tallied 1,690 pts so far this season (80.5 per game) and they pull in 35.8 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 18.4 times per contest (13th in D-1) and they turn it over 9.0 times per game. The Cornhuskers have committed 14.1 fouls every game and they connect on 76.2% from the charity stripe.

The Nebraska defense allows 30.2% on 3-point attempts (186 of 616) and opponents are making 71.4% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 13.8 assists and 34.4 boards per contest, which is ranked 216th and 179th in college hoops. The Cornhuskers on the defensive end are ranked 22nd in college in points given up per game with 65.4. They are forcing 13.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 39.4% from the field (19th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Illinois

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