Northwestern at Illinois: 2021-22 college basketball preview, TV schedule

Enjoy the Super Bowl appetizer between the Northwestern Wildcats and Illinois Fighting Illini, one of the country’s best teams.

TV Schedule: Sunday, February 13, 2:00 pm ET on BTN

Arena: State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois

Nobody dare try to compete with the ratings behemoth known as the Super Bowl on Sunday evening. But there are some college basketball appetizers on the menu earlier in the day, capped by Northwestern and Illinois.

The two Illinois-based Big Ten schools are trending in wildly different directions this season. Nevertheless, this could prove to be a surprisingly competitive game.

Illinois is coming off a blowout loss at the hands of the Purdue Boilermakers; there’s no shame in that for the Fighting Illini. Brad Underwood’s team is still one of the best, not just in the conference, but in the whole country.

The Illini is the No. 13 ranked team in the nation, though it seems likely it will be knocked down a few spots when the next rankings are released. Nevertheless, the team is locked in a three-way tie for first place in the loaded Big Ten.

Kofi Cockburn is the driving force behind Illinois’ success this season, averaging 21.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. But Jacob Grandison is a name not getting enough play nationally. The senior guard is averaging 10.5 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting from three in his second season after transferring from Holy Cross.

Northwestern is the team actually entering this game on a winning streak, having won their last three games. Those wins include a victory over a rising Rutgers squad and a win over Indiana, albeit a shorthanded Hoosiers team.

Boo Buie is this team’s leader. Buie is averaging 15.5 points and 4.8 assists per game this season.

The Wildcats’ most recent loss came to none other than the Fighting Illini. Northwestern battled Illinois in a close defensive fight on January 29, with Illinois ultimately prevailing 59-56. Cockburn dominated in his first contest back from a two-game absence stemming from a concussion.

Both teams struggled massively with their shooting in that game. That isn’t necessarily a common problem for either, however, particularly as Illinois shooting 46 percent from the field. They should have an easier time scoring buckets on their home court.

Northwestern’s biggest problem for this game is the same one that plagued them last time: Cockburn. Northwestern is fine on the defensive end, but they don’t really have anyone who matches up with Cockburn well. He should dominate the Wildcats again.

Illinois should also have the ability to keep Northwestern’s shooters at bay. The Wildcats are a middling shooting team, with an effective shooting percentage of 49.7 percent. But they’re one of the best in the country when it comes to opponents’ effective field goal percentage, limiting it to just 44.7 percent, according to TeamRankings.

The Fighting Illini are historic giants compared to Northwestern’s upstart ballers. Illinois has won seven straight in the series, last losing to Northwestern in January 2019. Northwestern hasn’t won at Illinois since 2013. That won’t change on Super Bowl Sunday.

Prediction: Illinois 73, Northwestern 60