Big Ten Preview: Illinois Looks to Stay Hot in Tough Road Trip to Wisconsin

Illinois and Wisconsin are headed in opposite directions these days, so it will be interesting to see what happens when they get together in Madison on Saturday. Here is our Big Ten gameday preview, with four big games on Saturday, and three more on Sunday.

Illinois seems to have found its groove, winning five of its last six games. Wisconsin, on the other hand, just can't find its way, losing five of six. 

The two teams get together in Madison on Saturday, in one of the marquee games of the day. Wisconsin wants to get things fixed, while Illinois wants to keep things rolling.

Illinois beat Ohio State 69-60 on Tuesday night, and they won it on the defensive end, which was much needed after giving up 80 points to Indiana in its previous game, an ugly 15-point loss at home that's been their only hiccup in the past three weeks. 

Illinois junior forward Coleman Hawkins was asked about the differences between the win over Ohio State and the loss to Indiana. 

“Just being tougher,”  he said. “I think we played a lot tougher, and it worked out for us. We threw in a little double package and got a glimpse of that. We locked into the scouting report and tried to limit scouting report mistakes.”

Illinois coach Brad Underwood said his team was tired after the Indiana game, and gave his group two days off. It showed, because they played with much more energy against Ohio State.

“I thought we forced them into off-the-bounce jump shots,” Underwood said. “(Ohio State guard Isaac) Likekele getting downhill, we did a much better job. We spent two hard days really trying to guard the bully ball, and I thought we did a better job with that. People are going to score some, but Isaac was 1 of 6 in the first half on hard twos. That’s all we can try to do, is challenge them. This league has great players. Sometimes you’re going to make them and sometimes you’re not. You need (the shots) to be consistently hard, and I thought we did that.”

Here's the schedule for the weekend: 

Saturday's games

• MINNESOTA at NORTHWESTERN, Noon ET: Northwestern (14-5, 5-3 in Big Ten) is having a great week after being forced to postpone two games because of a COVID-19 issue inside the program. They have beaten Wisconsin and Nebraska this week, and Ty Berry had a huge night on Wednesday, scoring a career-high 26 points at Nebraska. Minnesota (7-12, 1-8 in Big Ten) gave Indiana a scare on Wednesday night, but came up short in the final minutes. They're hoping to have leading scorer Dawson Garcia back on Saturday. TV: Big Ten Network. Point spread: Northwestern is a 12-point favorite over Minnesota, according to the SISportsbook.com gambling website. The over/under is 127.5.
• ILLINOIS AT WISCONSIN, 3 p.m. ET.  Wisconsin (12-7, 4-5 in Big Ten) has lost five of its last six games, so they're hoping to get some home cooking to end the skid. The Illini are trending in the opposite direction, winning five of its last six. TV: FOX. Point spread: Illinois is a 1.5-point favorite over Wisconsin, according to the SISportsbook.com gambling website. The over/under is 131.5.
• NEBRASKA at MARYLAND, 4:30 p.m. ET: Maryland (13-7, 4-5 in Big Ten) has been very good at home, winning all four league games in College Park. They are 0-5 on the road, the only team in the league with that kind of home/road record. The Terrapins, by the way, host Indiana on Tuesday.  TV: FOX. Point spread: Maryland is a 11.5-point favorite over Nebraska, according to the SISportsbook.com gambling website. The over/under is 130.5.
• OHIO STATE at INDIANA, 8 p.m. ET: Two teams heading in opposite directions get together in Bloomington for a prime-time national TV showdown. Indiana (14-6, 5-4 in Big Ten) has won four straight Big Ten games for the first time since 2019, led by Trayce Jackson-Davis, who's averaging 27.3 points and 14.3 rebounds during the winning streak. Ohio State has lost six of its last seven conference games. TV: FOX. Point spread: Indiana is a 4.5-point favorite according to the SISportsbook.com gambling website. The over/under is 144.5.

Sunday's games

• MICHIGAN at PENN STATE, Noon ET. (TV: Big Ten Network)
• MICHIGAN STATE at No. 1 PURDUE, 12:15 p.m ET. (TV: CBS)
• RUTGERS at IOWA, 2 p.m. ET. (TV: Big Ten Network)

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