Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 2/4/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Northwestern Wildcats (10-12) are headed to State Farm Center on Wednesday where they will try to defeat the Illinois Fighting Illini (19-3).

The Northwestern Wildcats faced Washington and ended up losing by a score of 76-62 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Wildcats finished with 11 and Washington had 17 fouls. They also knocked down 10 of 22 tries from distance. Washington finished shooting 75.0% from the free throw line by making 6 of 8 shots. Furthermore, Washington pulled down 40 rebounds (14 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Washington distributed 15 dimes and had 7 steals in this game. Pertaining to defense, Northwestern allowed the other team to go 46.2% from the floor on 30 of 65 shooting. They also distributed 11 dimes for the matchup while forcing 11 turnovers and earning 4 steals. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they earned 27 with 7 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Wildcats buried 13 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 72.2%. Northwestern ended the game having earned a 38.6% FG percentage (22 out of 57) and converted 5 of 19 shots from beyond the arc.

Nick Martinelli is a guy who was a major contributor for this game. He was able to score 19 points on 6 out of 14 shooting. He saw the court for 37 minutes played and grabbed 9 rebounds. He ended up going 42.9% from the field and dished out 1 assist.

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Northwestern comes into this game with a win-loss mark of 10-12 on the season. They are averaging 76.6 points per game (180th in college hoops) while shooting 46.8% from the field. The Wildcats are connecting on 32.0% on shots from distance (140 of 438) and 74.3% from the free throw line. As a team, Northwestern is pulling down 33.0 boards per game and has tallied 397 assists on the year, which ranks 25th in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 8.6 times per game and as a team they commit 17.7 fouls per game.

On defense, the Wildcats are able to force 11.0 turnovers per game while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They are conceding 31.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 134th in the country in PPG from their opponents (72.0). The Wildcats defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 43.0% (548 of 1,274) and they concede 35.0 boards per game as a team. They currently rank 278th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 331 surrendered for the season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Illinois Fighting Illini walked away with a victory by a final of 78-69 against Nebraska. The Fighting Illini snagged 19 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards for a total of 31 for this game. They also coughed it up 7 times, while recording 3 steals in the matchup. Nebraska had 19 personal fouls for the game which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for 26 attempts. They were able to make 21 of the free throws for a rate of 80.8%. When it comes to 3-point shots, Illinois made 9 out of 30 tries (30.0%). Overall, the Fighting Illini ended up shooting 24 for 54 from the field which gave them a percentage of 44.4%. The Fighting Illini allowed Nebraska to make 25 out of 59 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 42.4% for the game. They shot 42.9% from 3-point land by connecting on 15 out of 35 and ended up going 4 of 5 at the free throw line (80.0%). When talking about how they rebounded, Illinois allowed Nebraska to pull down 30 in all (9 offensive).

Tomislav Ivisic ended up being a factor for the Fighting Illini for the matchup. He scored 12 points in his 32 mins on the court and had 3 dimes in this matchup. He converted 5 out of 7 in the game for a rate of 71.4%, and had 8 rebounds.

Illinois has a mark of 19-3 on the year. The Fighting Illini are committing 12.8 fouls per game and they shoot 78.9% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 14.5 times per game (159th in D-1) and they are giving up possession 9.4 times per game. Illinois has tallied 1,862 points on the season (84.6 per contest) and they snag 41.2 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Fighting Illini are hitting on 46.8% from the field, which ranks 99th in Division 1.

The Illinois defense allows 32.1% on 3-point attempts (185 of 577) and their opponents are converting on 70.8% of their free throw shots. They allow 13.0 assists and 30.4 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 147th and 16th in the nation. The Fighting Illini are ranked 51st in college in points given up per game with 68.2. They are forcing 8.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 40.6% from the field (39th in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Northwestern

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