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

How to watch Northwestern vs. Illinois basketball game

By Scout Staff

Jan 24, 2024 at 10:00 pm ET • 3 min read

Halftime Report

After a tough defeat on the road their last time out, Northwestern looks much better today on their home court. A victory is still up for grabs for either team after one quarter, but Northwestern is up 34-32 over Illinois. This contest is far closer than the pair's previous matchup, which was decided by 30 points.

Northwestern came into the match with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We'll see if they're able to flip the script or if it'll just be more of the same.

Who's Playing

Illinois Fighting Illini @ Northwestern Wildcats

Current Records: Illinois 14-4, Northwestern 13-5

How To Watch

When: Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena -- Evanston, 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: $190.66

What to Know

Illinois is 9-1 against Northwestern since March of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. Both teams will face off in a Big Ten battle at 9:00 p.m. ET at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Despite being away, Illinois is looking at a three-point advantage in the spread.

Illinois has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 23 points or more this season. They blew past the Scarlet Knights 86-63. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Illinois.

Illinois' victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Justin Harmon, who scored 18 points along with eight rebounds. Coleman Hawkins was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with nine rebounds and five steals.

Meanwhile, it's hard to win when your three-point shooting is a whole 21.5% worse than the opposition, a fact Northwestern found out the hard way on Saturday. They took a 75-69 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cornhuskers. The over/under was set at 144 points, so nice work oddsmakers; you were right on the money.

The losing side was boosted by Brooks Barnhizer, who scored 24 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Those 24 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Langborg, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds and four steals.

The Fighting Illini's victory bumped their record up to 14-4. As for the Wildcats, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-5.

Wednesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Illinois have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 43.1 rebounds per game (they're ranked fifth in rebounds per game overall). It's a different story for Northwestern, though, as they've been averaging only 30.2 rebounds per game. Given Illinois' sizeable advantage in that area, Northwestern will need to find a way to close that gap.

Everything came up roses for Illinois against Northwestern in their previous matchup on January 2nd as the team secured a 96-66 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Illinois since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.