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No. 18 Illinois Fighting Illini at Penn State Nittany Lions

It is a Big Ten showdown on Wednesday as the No. 18 Illinois Fighting Illini (5-3) take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (3-2) at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 pm ET. 

Illinois is in the midst of a tough stretch where they have played four out of their last five games against teams ranked in the top-25. In that stretch, they have gone 2-3 with a win over No. 20 Duke but losses to No. 2 Baylor, No. 14 Missouri, and No. 11 Rutgers.  

In the games against Missouri and Rutgers, they were close as they were both just 3-point losses. Still, Illinois will look to bounce back as it takes on the unranked Nittany Lions.

Speaking of Penn State, they have dropped two of their last three, including a 62-58 loss to No. 19 Michigan on Sunday. During that stretch, they did knock off No. 24 Virginia Tech, 75-55, so they are playing teams tough. Currently 0-1 in the Big Ten, they will try to pick up their first conference victory Wednesday. 

The Illini come into this one as just a slight favorite playing on the road. They are -110 to win while Penn State’s moneyline is -105. The spread features the Fighting Illini -3, and the over/under for total points is 151.5.

By The Numbers

Offensively, Illinois has been one of the best scoring teams in the country this season. They rank 9th overall averaging 88.2 points per game. Penn State comes in 74th overall averaging 76.6 points per game. 

Defensively, these two teams have been very comparable. On the season, Penn State is allowing 69.8 points per game to opponents, while Illinois has been allowing 70.

Illinois Looks To Get Back Into Win Column

Coming off of such a rough stretch of basketball, the Illini look to find some consistency in their performers and to get back into the win column. To do so, they will have to be better away from Champaign as they are just 1-3 on the road. They are 4-0 when playing at home. 

Leading the way this year for the Illini has been guard Ayo Dosunmu and center, Kofi Cockburn. Dosunmu has averaged 22.6 points, eight rebounds, and 5.3 assists in just under 34 minutes a game. 

For Cockburn, he puts up 16.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game in the frontcourt.

Other major contributors include Adam Miller (10.4 points), Trent Frazier (9.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists), and Andre Curbelo (9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists). Throw in Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Da’Monte Williams, and they are very solid going seven deep. 

Penn State Looks For Home Upset

Penn State is 2-1 at home this season and would love to add another home victory on Tuesday against the ranked Illini. They are the underdogs coming into it, but they have already shown they can pull off an upset.

Penn State currently has four players averaging double-digits, led by forward Seth Lundy and guard Izaiah Brockington. Lundy is averaging 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and one block, while Brockington puts up 14 points and 5.6 rebounds per night.

The other two double-digit scorers are Sam Sessoms (11.8 points, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals) and Myreon Jones (11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, three assists, 1.8 steals).  

Other notable contributors for the Nittany Lions include Myles Dread (8.4 points, three rebounds, 1.2 steals), John Harrar (7.6 points, seven rebounds), and Jamari Wheeler (5.8 points, four rebounds, 4.6 assists, two steals).

Illinois Bounces Back, Wins and Covers

While Penn State is talented, the best players on the floor Wednesday night will belong to the Illini. I anticipate Dosunmu continuing to be reliable while Cockburn could have a nice game in this one in the interior. Especially with the spread so low, I am taking the Illini to win and cover.

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