Illinois vs. Marquette: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

2-0 Marquette takes on 2-0 Illinois in Milwaukee on Monday as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. Which team will remain undefeated?

Time: Monday, November 15th at 6 pm CT
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Channel: Fox Sports 1

On Monday night, the Marquette Golden Eagles will host the Illinois Fighting Illini as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. This will mark the 15th time these programs have faced each other, but it’ll be the first time in 28 years. The Illini lead the all-time series 9-5, but Marquette has taken the last two matchups.

Both teams enter the early-season showdown sitting at 2-0 after each winning two buy games at home. Marquette defeated SIUE in its opener and then narrowly escaped a tight game against New Hampshire. On the other side, Illinois dominated Jackson State and Arkansas State in its two games.

This is an intriguing game for both teams for several reasons. For Marquette, Monday will be the first big game of the Shaka-era. With excitement surrounding his hiring and a chance to knock off a ranked team in a neighboring state, the Fiserv Forum should be rocking. A battle with the Illini will also be a great litmus test to gauge where Marquette currently stands.

For Illinois, this will be the first true test against a high-major team. The Illini will be playing in a hostile environment for the first time in two years and without NPOY candidate Kofi Cockburn. This is the last game of Cockburn’s three-game suspension which means potentially the last chance for some of the Illini big men filling in to cement themselves in the rotation.

Marquette is led by Maryland-transfer Darryl Morsell and sophomore Justin Lewis. Morsell has been extremely impressive in his first two games, averaging 23.5 PPG to go along with the defensive pedigree he brings as the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He brings a crucial veteran presence to a young team. Lewis has also had a great start to the young season. The 6’7” forward has averaged a double-double with 17.0 PPG and 11.0 RPG. Morsell and Lewis will need to be leading the way for Marquette if they are to pull off the upset.

The visitors will need strong performances from Andre Curbelo and Trent Frazier. Curbelo had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists in limited minutes in his return to the court on Friday, while Frazier also made his return from injury by adding 12 points. Marquette has pressed at times in each of their first two games and are always putting pressure on defensively. Curbelo and Frazier will need to take care of the ball and use Marquette’s pressure against them from the tip.

I believe this game will be decided by how successful Marquette’s defensive pressure is. If they can rattle the Illini guards, force turnovers, and get offense from their own defense, they could pull off the upset. Andre Curbelo is a great player, but he is prone to turning the ball over trying to do too much. Marquette needs to use that against him and use the crowd to create a snowball effect of turnovers and mental mistakes.

However, I think Illinois will settle in early and Trent Frazier will have a monster game. He’s shown in his time in college that he loves playing on the road and can handle the pressure. In his fifth year at Illinois, he is more experienced hitting big shots and controlling games than anyone else who will be on the floor. My prediction is that Frazier goes for 20 points and leads the Illini to an 81-60 win over the Golden Eagles.