Lincoln, Nebraska, is the site for one of the best games of the weekend when the Nebraska Huskers welcome the red-hot Illinois Fighting Illini to a sold-out Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska and Illinois are both 9-1 in the Big Ten and are hoping to keep pace with the Michigan Wolverines at the top of the league.
Nebraska is going to experience something it has not for almost a calendar year: a loss. Everyone knows how Nebraska plays coming off a signature win, but how will they respond coming off a loss, especially after winning 24 games in a row? Illinois is hot and currently on a 10-game winning streak. While the Huskers are 20-1 and Illinois is 18-3, both teams are in the midst of their best seasons in a long time.
It isn’t every day that the Huskers get to host a top 10 matchup at their arena. This will be the second of its kind at Pinnacle Bank Arena, and rest assured, the fans in Lincoln are not going to disappoint. The arena is going to be rocking for one of the best games of the season between two of the Big Ten powerhouses. At least for this season.
Nebraska vs Illinois: All the Information
Date: Sunday, February 1, 2026
Time: 3:00 pm ET
Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln Nebraska
TV: FS1
Streaming: FuboTV
Spread: Nebraska -2.5 | Illinois +2.5
Moneyline: Nebraska -150, Illinois +126
Total: 149.5
All-time series: Illinois leads 23-10
Last Meeting: Nebraska defeated Illinois 83-80 on December 13, 2025
Nebraska Cornhuskers
#51 Rienk Mast- 14.6 PPG
#9 Berke Buyuktuncel - 7.4 PPG
#21 Pryce Sandfort - 17.4 PPG
#10 Jamarques Lawrence - 10.8 PPG
#1 Sam Hoiberg - 9.2 PPG
Illinois Fighting Illini
#0 David Mirkovic - 12.5 PPG
#15 Jake Davis - 4.7 PPG
#13 Tomislav Ivisic - 10.0 PPG
#23 Keaton Wagler - 17.7 PPG
#2 Andrej Stojakovic - 13.6 PPG
Outlook for the Big Ten Thriller
Nebraska finally has a loss on the ledger, but it was a loss that impressed many people: the Huskers went to the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor and lost by 3 points after leading for 36 total minutes. The most impressive thing is that the Huskers were able to do that to Michigan, despite being down star Rienk Mast because of the flu and without star freshman Braden Frager due to an ankle sprain. Those two players are expected to play on Sunday for the Huskers.
Illinois has won 10 in a row, and its last loss came at the hands of Nebraska at the State Farm Center in Champaign. The Illini are out for revenge, but getting it won't be as easy as some may think. Pinnacle Bank Arena is one of the hardest places to play in the conference when it is sold out, and Illinois is going to have to do it without its leader and point guard, Kylan Boswell. Boswell is currently out with a broken hand.
The loss of the point guard has not caused Illinois to stumble yet, as they have wins at Purdue and against Washington without their star. In the Purdue game, freshman Wagler stepped up to score 46 points to beat the Boilers. Many say this is the toughest game remaining on the schedule for both teams, and on paper, that is the case.
Illinois ranks among the most prolific offenses in KenPom history. They can score, but Nebraska takes away the middle of the floor and makes you work for everything. Nebraska gets out in transition and takes and makes a ton of threes. The Huskers are the best three-point shooting team in the Big Ten and can blow games open quickly. Mast and Frager are a big part of the three-point offense, and Frager, in particular, can get to the rim against anyone and will electrify the Lincoln crowd with his highlight-reel dunks and swagger.
Illinois has to make enough threes to neutralize the Huskers. While that seems easy enough, Nebraska contests everything on the defensive end and is very good at making sure the guys they want taking shots are the ones taking them. The Huskers are also great at getting turnovers and getting out in transition to blow a game open.
Illinois thrives in the paint and in transition offense, two things that the Nebraska defense is built to take away. The Illini rebounded at a high rate, and they used that ability to climb back into the game last time out against Nebraska. This one is in Lincoln, and if this game starts to spiral,l it will be interesting to see if the Illini can still operate with the crowd juiced up. I still anticipate a close game with second place in the Big Ten on the line.