No. 3 seed Nebraska has already clinched its first Big Ten Tournament semifinal appearance, and it will be eyeing its first trip to the conference title game when it faces No. 2 seed Illinois Saturday afternoon on CBS and Paramount+. The Cornhuskers (23-9) left no doubt in their win over No. 6 seed Indiana on Friday, cruising to a 93-66 victory. Illinois rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half of its 77-74 win over No. 10 seed Ohio State, notching its fifth win in its last six games. The Fighting Illini (24-8) escaped in overtime when they hosted Nebraska in February, which was the only regular-season meeting between these teams.
Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The latest Illinois vs. Nebraska odds from SportsLine consensus list the Fighting Illini as 4.5-point favorites, while the over/under for total points is 153. You can watch Saturday's game on CBS and stream the game on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.
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How to watch Illinois vs. Nebraska
- Nebraska vs. Illinois date: Saturday, March 16
- Nebraska vs. Illinois time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Nebraska vs. Illinois TV channel: CBS
- Nebraska vs. Illinois live stream: Paramount+
College basketball picks for Illinois vs. Nebraska
Before tuning into the Nebraska vs. Illinois game, you need to see the college basketball picks from SportsLine's advanced computer model. The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters 2024 conference championship week on a 145-104 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 28-18 (+820) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
For Illinois vs. Nebraska, the model projects that the Cornhuskers stay within the spread as 4.5-point underdogs. Nebraska has been one of the most underrated teams in college basketball throughout the season, covering the spread at a 21-11 clip in its 32 games. The Cornhuskers have covered in six of their last seven games, including their blowout win over Indiana on Friday.
Senior guard Keisei Tominaga had 23 points, five assists and three rebounds, shooting 9 of 13 from the floor. Nebraska did not have anyone play more than 28 minutes in the quarterfinals, leaving its roster fresh for this game. Meanwhile, Illinois had four starters play at least 29 minutes on Friday, and it does not have a particularly deep bench.
The Fighting Illini had trouble putting Nebraska away in the regular-season meeting, blowing a late 10-point lead before rallying in overtime. They allowed the Cornhuskers to shoot 42.9% from 3-point range and only forced eight turnovers. Nebraska is even more confident entering this rematch and SportsLine's model is projecting a 4-point game where the Cornhuskers pick up another cover. Stream the game here.
How to watch, live stream the college basketball on CBS
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