Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Northwestern Wildcats: How to watch NCAA Basketball online, TV channel, live stream info, start time

How to watch Illinois vs. Northwestern basketball game

By Scout Staff

Jan 2, 2024 at 10:01 pm ET • 2 min read

Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Illinois and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Northwestern 46-29.

Illinois entered the matchup having won three straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will Northwestern step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Northwestern Wildcats @ Illinois Fighting Illini

Current Records: Northwestern 10-2, Illinois 10-2

How To Watch

When: Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Center -- Champaign, Illinois
TV: Big Ten Network
Follow: CBS Sports App
Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
Ticket Cost: $27.75

What to Know

Illinois is 9-1 against Northwestern since March of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. Both teams will face off in a Big Ten battle at 9:00 p.m. ET at State Farm Center. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.

Illinois scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They put a hurting on the Knights at home to the tune of 104-71. Considering Illinois has won six matches by more than 22 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Illinois to victory, but perhaps none more so than Dain Dainja, who scored 19 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Dainja has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Coleman Hawkins, who scored 18 points.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats earned a 74-63 victory over the Tigers on Friday.

Northwestern's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ty Berry led the charge by scoring 20 points along with six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Ryan Langborg, who scored 17 points.

The Fighting Illini have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season. As for the Wildcats, their win bumped their record up to an identical 10-2.

Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Illinois have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 46.1 rebounds per game (they're ranked first in rebounds per game overall). It's a different story for Northwestern, though, as they've been averaging only 32.1 rebounds per game. Given Illinois' sizeable advantage in that area, Northwestern will need to find a way to close that gap.

Looking ahead, Illinois is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by five points. They might be worth a quick bet since they've covered the spread the last eight times they've played.