Nebraska Basketball vs Illinois: How to watch, predictions and more

Nebraska basketball will host Illinois Sunday in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Here is all you need to know including predictions and how to watch.

The season has gotten off to a near-perfect start for the Nebraska basketball team and the Huskers will look to continue their hot start in the Big Ten opener against Illinois.

While Nebraska basketball enters the game with a record of 6-1 and fresh off an impressive road win over Clemson, Illinois comes into Lincoln with a record of 2-5. The Fighting Illini were under .500 last season and one of the worst teams in the Big Ten with a 4-14 record.

Records aren’t always what they seem, however. Illinois does have some talented players including Avo Dosunmu,  one of the more highly-touted freshmen in the country. He is second on the team in scoring at 13.6 PPG. The leading scorer for Illinois is Trent Frazier, a 6-foot-1 guard who averages 15.7 PPG.

Illinois also may be 2-5, yet the Fighting Illini have had some close calls, losing to third-ranked Gonzaga by just a few points, as well as suffering close losses to Notre Dame and Xavier.

So before you chalk up an automatic win for Nebraska basketball, think again. It won’t be that easy. This could even be considered a trap game for the Huskers, yet before we break it down further, let’s go over some basic info, like how to watch and stream the game.

Game Info:

Game 8: Nebraska vs Illinois

When: 2: 4:00 PM CST

Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena (The Vault)

TV: Big Ten Network

Streaming: BTN2Go

Radio: Huskers IMG Radio 

What to expect

This game really should be a mismatch if we pay attention to all the analytics. The Kenpom rankings have Nebraska basketball as the 21st best team, while Illinois ranks 89th. The Illinois offense ranks 70th and the defense is 122nd. Nebraska, on the other hand, is No. 33 in offensive efficiency and 20th when it comes to defense.

The defense has been a strong suit all season for the Huskers, who are fourth in the country in points allowed at just over 53 a game. Only one team, Texas Tech, has scored over 70 and that’s been a big part of the formula in key wins over Seton Hall and Clemson.

Illinois is a decent offensive team, averaging 79 points a game, however, the Fighting Illini allow more than 77 points per game which puts them at 291st in the country. Like Nebraska, Illinois has three players in averaging in double figures and Jordan Allen is another name to watch for Illinois, a team that shoots 40 percent from 3-point range.

The Huskers will counter with James Palmer, Isaac Copeland and Glynn Watson, as well as Isaiah Roby. Nebraska has one of the best starting fives in the Big Ten, however, depth is still an issue, so the rotation should be tight unless Nebraska grabs a commanding lead.

Tempo will also be a key battle. Illinois plays at a much faster pace than Nebraska normally does. The Huskers can play at a fast pace, so it wouldn’t necessarily hurt them, it will just be interesting to see if this game turns into a shootout or a grind-it-out affair. Nebraska can win either way but Illinois probably only wins a track meet.

Prediction

With two key non-conference wins already, Nebraska has put itself in a solid position for the NCAA tournament. Now, the Huskers just have to take care of business in the Big Ten.

The game against Illinois is the first of 20 conference games within the league. Yet, after two good wins outside of league play, including a win on the road, Nebraska likely will just need to post a winning record in the conference in order to be a tournament team.

That starts Sunday by beating Illinois, a team that should be among the worst in the conference. Since it’s at home, it is basically a must-win game for the Huskers, simply because it would probably be viewed as a bad loss by the committee.

Ultimately, Illinois will hang around because of its ability to shoot early on in the game, however, as the game wears on, Nebraska basketball will win with defense and the scoring of Palmer and Watson.

Final score: Nebraska 77, Illinois 64.