Get ready for an intriguing Sunday afternoon, as the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes set their sights of extending their unbeaten run to three games when they go head-to-head with the Illinois Fighting Illini, who have lost four of their last six games, at the State Farm Center. Will the Hawkeyes continue their dominance? Or will the Fighting Illini pull off the improbable upset?
[sc:NCAAB240banner]Read on further for afull breakdown of this Big Ten matchup. And if you’re craving for some NHL action as well, you can check out our preview of the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Illinois Fighting IlliniPreview
Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
When: Sunday, February 7, 2016, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Iowa Hawkeyes (-11) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (+11)– view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: BTN
Betting on the Iowa Hawkeyes (18-4, 9-1 Big Ten)
[sc:NCAAB240banner]Another game, another win for Iowa. The fifth-ranked Hawkeyes notched their second-straight win against Penn State last Wednesday night, 73-49. Leading the charge for them was none other than Jarrod Uthoff who poured in a team-high of 14 points and a game-high of five blocks. Not to be outdone was the pair of Anthony Clemmons and Peter Jok. Both scored 12 points apiece during that game as well.
With the win, the Hawkeyes have now have improved to 18-4 overall and 9-1 in conference play. They’ll hope to keep rolling when they go on the road for an impending date with the Illinois Fighting Illini at the State Farm Center.
Key to their victory will ultimately depend on the performance of their top point-getter in Uthoff. The senior forward is averaging 18.4 points and 6.2 rebounds thus far and has finished in double-figures in all but one of his games this season. Uthoff should be able to have another solid outing versus an Illinois defense that’s giving up 76.2 points.
Meanwhile, expect Jok (15.1 PPG) and Clemmons (8.9 PPG) to be a factor on offense too. Jok, in particular, has scored 12 or more points in his past seven games. That stretch includes their match opposite Northwestern on January 31, wherein he had 26 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field and 10-for-12 shooting from the charity stripe.
Iowa is 6-4 SU and ATS in its previous 10 home games.
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Betting on the Illinois Fighting Illini (11-12, 3-7 Big Ten)
Despite entering this game as the obvious underdogs, the Illinois Fighting Illini ought to use that as a source of motivation in trying to come up with the huge upset.
The Fighting Illini are actually fresh off a much-needed triple-overtime win against Rutgers on Wednesday night. During that game, Malcolm Hill shined brightest as he finished with a game-high of 32 points and 14 boards while trailing him was Jalen Coleman-Lands who erupted for a career-best 26 points on 8-for-17 shooting. These two will have to put on another big-time performance if they wish to—at least—make things interesting till the very end.
Furthermore, Kendrick Nunn could prove to be another bright spot for the Fighting Illini in this one. He is currently the second-best scorer in the team with 17.3 points per contest. But Nunn has struggled to put the rock inside the hoop over the last three games, shooting just 15-of-42 (35.7%) from the field in that span.
On the defensive side of the court, the Fighting Illini will need to find a way to shut down the likes of Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok, who are both Iowa’s top offensive threats this season. That said, the onus is on Illinois’ perimeter defenders to be at their best form and have constant communication with each other from start to finish.
Illinois is 6-4 SU and 2-5-3 ATS in its previous 10 games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Iowa (-11) wins by double-digits or by 10 points at least.
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