Illinois vs Indiana: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
Both Illinois and Indiana could use a big win the day after Christmas. Which of them will land another win in the Big Ten?
TV schedule: Saturday, December 26, 4:00 pm ET. Check Local Listings
Arena: State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois
It’s been a long week for Illinois (6-3, 2-1), having traveled on the road for a pair of games. It turned into a split, with the Illini falling at Rutgers (91-88), before beating Penn State 98-81 after being tied at the half. In fact, they were down 19-4 to start the game and had to come back in a big way just to get things even again.
Ayo Dosunmu continues his climb as a Big Ten Player of the Year contender, scoring a game-high 30 points, along with six rebounds and five assists. Kofi Cockburn had 23 points, while freshman guard Andre Curbelo contributed with 15 off the bench. But while the offense for Illinois continues to excel, the defensive issues are starting to glare as well. Neither Rutgers nor Penn State are Iowa when it comes to scoring and yet the Illini had plenty of issues.
They’ll have to get it cleaned up if they want to compete for a Big Ten title, starting this weekend against Indiana (5-3, 0-1). After beating rival Butler last week, the Hoosiers had a home game against Northwestern. In what should’ve been an easy win, the Wildcats actually led most of the game and kept Indiana on its toes. It was a one-possession game in the final minutes but despite Trayce Jackson-Davis going for 22 points and nine rebounds, Indiana lost, 74-67.
While Northwestern looks to be much improved so far, this is still a major disappointment for the team and head coach Archie Miller, who could be considered to be on the hot seat if he doesn’t lead Indiana to the NCAA Tournament.
But the Big Ten is as deep as ever and with no Nebraska game at home, this should’ve been the easiest one for them to get. The Hoosiers need more than Jackson-Davis to succeed and have just Armaan Franklin and Race Thompson as the other double-digit performers on the team.
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There will be expectations that both Cockburn and Jackson-Davis will do well in this game and potentially cancel each other out. But who on Indiana will step up and take on Dosunmu? Outside of Franklin, there hasn’t been a consistent guard you can feel confident about. That will be the difference in this one, along with an expected different level of intensity on defense.
Prediction: Illinois 80 – Indiana 63