It’s conference time.
Coming off a 33-point victory over FDU, the No. 9 Illini will be returning to Big Ten play on Tuesday night against the Northwestern Wildcats. With nonconference play complete for head coach Brad Underwood’s squad, it’s all familiar foes from here until the postseason.
“Obviously, now itʼs 19 Big Ten games,” Underwood said. “It starts with Northwestern coming in here. Itʼs a very good Northwestern team, in most cases probably the best guard in our league in Boo Buie. They’ve already beaten the number one team in the country, so a very very good basketball team (and) extremely well coached.”
With Northwestern also boasting a 10-2 overall record, Illinois will have its work cut out ahead of tipoff in Champaign. Without their own star guard in fifth-year Terrence Shannon Jr., the Illini will rely on strong performances across the roster like what was seen against the Knights. Sophomore guard Ty Rodgers and junior guard Luke Goode, who both started in the backcourt the last time out, will be tasked with shutting down Buie, who is averaging 17.9 points and 4.9 assists per game.
Illinois are off to a strong start with a 1-0 conference record currently, opening the 2023-24 Big Ten campaign with an impressive away win over Rutgers at the RAC. The Wildcats kicked off conference play in similar fashion with an upset over then-No. 1 Purdue at home.
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Despite losing Shannon to suspension, the Illini didn’t skip a beat against Fairleigh Dickinson and appeared cohesive and sharp on the floor. However, with the tougher test against Northwestern coming up, this Shannon-less Illinois squad will truly have a chance to showcase how far this team can go with the depth it has available.
“Weʼre a connected basketball team,” Underwood said. “Itʼs a group that Iʼm excited to coach every single day because theyʼre very matter of fact. Theyʼve got the ‘next game upʼ mentality. Tuesday’s night’s Big Ten play.”
Historically, the in-state rivalry between the two schools has been quite lopsided. Not only does Underwood personally hold a 9-3 record against the Wildcats, but the Illini as a program have recorded a 142-44 all-time record against them. Having won the most recent encounter, a 66-62 win at the State Farm Center, Illinois has a chance to build up another win streak on Tuesday night.
No. 9 Illinois (10-2 overall, 1-0 B1G) will tip off against Northwestern (10-2 overall, 1-0 B1G) at 8 p.m. CT as conference play begins to heat up in Champaign.
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