Amid a two-game winning streak in the Big Ten, No. 10 Illinois men’s basketball will travel to Evanston, Illinois, for a rematch with Northwestern on Wednesday night. This will be the second meeting between the Illini and the Wildcats this season, with the Illini dominating the first encounter in a 30-point rout on Jan. 2.
“Life in the Big Ten on the road always has its challenges,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “Great crowds of passionate fan bases. You get a team (in Northwestern) for the second time, one that we played very well against in the first game and made shots. This is a team that has beaten Maryland and has beaten Purdue at home. They’re shooting the ball much better at home than they have on the road.”
The Wildcats are currently 9-1 at home this season, while the Illini are 4-2 overall playing away from Champaign. However, Illinois will be entering Evanston with all the pieces they need to come away with a victory. The recent return of fifth-year Terrence Shannon Jr. from suspension alongside the return of freshman forward Amani Hansberry from injury come as significant boosts for Underwood’s squad.
The Illini are coming off a dominant 86-63 home victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Sunday and will be looking to carry that momentum into the Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday. Graduate student guard Justin Harmon turned in a top-tier performance off the bench with a team-high 18 points and will undoubtedly be one to watch against the Wildcats. Harmon has been picking up speed recently and is averaging 11.9 points over the last seven games.
“I would give all the credit to my teammates,” Harmon said. “They put me in the right position to score, to make them better, to rebound, everything. I give all my credit to them, but it’s just fun playing with people that have the same goal. We all want to win, we don’t care who scores, it’s just so great that we all want to win the championship.”
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While Illinois has won the last two matchups against Northwestern, it lost the last encounter in Evanston by a 73-60 scoreline back in January 2023. Overall, however, the two programs share a lopsided history. The Illini have come out on top in 143 meetings, while the Wildcats have only been able to claim 44 in comparison. For Underwood, who is no stranger to this in-state rivalry, the head coach will be looking to personally claim his 11th win over the Wildcats in his 14th game against them.
Play will tip off at 8 p.m. CT at the Welsh Ryan Arena. Illinois will be searching for its 15th overall win of the season and sixth win of the 2023-24 Big Ten campaign.
“We know that Northwestern has a great team,” Harmon said. “And it’s a road game, so we know the crowd’s going to get really into it real well. We’re just ready for it, we’ve been really locked in, so we’re ready.”
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