Iowa vs. Illinois: College basketball game preview, TV, prediction
Both of these teams are in desperate need of a win in order to try and turn their conference season around. So, who comes away with the victory?
TV schedule: Thursday, Jan. 11, 8:00 p.m. ET, FS1
Arena: State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois
This is a battle between the lone two teams who have yet to win a Big Ten game so far this season. Both teams have a lot to improve on, but also have some young talent that makes the future bright.
For Illinois (10-7, 0-4), consistency is the key. There have been multiple games that the Illini have put together one good half but just can’t put a full game together. They have been in multiple games that they have lost down the stretch, which is very frustrating for the fans.
Believe it or not, the Illini may not be out of the NCAA tournament race just yet. Last season, Brad Underwood had a very similar situation at Oklahoma State, as his Cowboys team started off the year losing their first six Big 12 conference games. He is known for developing his teams as the season goes on, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Illinois was able to rattle off some wins in the coming weeks. But, this is an absolute must-win game for the Illini at home.
On the other hand, Iowa (9-9, 0-5) may have solidified themselves as the worst team in the conference after their disappointing and subpar performance to begin the season. The Hawkeyes have no quality wins on their resume and have gotten blown out on multiple occasions this season.
This Hawkeyes team was expected to be one of the better teams in the conference this year after returning the majority of their players from last year’s bubble team. But, they are really missing the leadership of Peter Jok, as they can’t seem to find that toughness and togetherness that Jok gave them.
In this game, the key will be whether Iowa can handle Illinois’ pressure and if the Illini can take advantage of turnovers. They average 8.0 steals per game, which is second in the Big Ten. Iowa has also really struggled defensively in Big Ten play as well, so it will be interesting to see how they manage the Illini attack.
A key matchup to watch in this game will be between post players Leron Black (14.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) of Illinois and Tyler Cook (14.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) of Iowa. These guys have been the leaders of their respective teams so far, so expect them to go right at each other in this one.
All in all, the Illini are the better team and are 9-1 at home this year. They should handle the Hawkeyes and get their first conference win of Underwood’s young Illinois career.
Prediction: Illinois 78 – Iowa 68