Indiana @ Illinois preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 3, 2019 ) Illinois 65, Indiana 73

Indiana enters the final week of the regular season barely above .500, but its NCAA Tournament bubble remarkably has not burst, according to some analysts, and that provides incentive for Wednesday night's visit to Illinois. The Hoosiers were all but dead in the water a week ago after losing 13-of-14 games, but rallied for upsets over two ranked opponents to rekindle their postseason hopes.

The reason that Indiana is still in contention for an NCAA berth is that it has four wins against Top 25 teams and its schedule is ranked fourth-toughest in the country by KenPom.com. The next two games are winnable for Indiana - at Illinois and at home Sunday against Rutgers - but the Hoosiers have found success only twice on the road this season, including an upset at No. 11 Michigan State in early February. After that win, Indiana lost five straight before ending the skid Feb. 26 by knocking off No. 21 Wisconsin in double overtime in Bloomington. Four days later, Indiana turned around and completed a regular-season sweep of Big Ten co-leader Michigan State with a 63-62 victory at home Saturday in which Justin Smith scored 24 points.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT INDIANA (15-14, 6-12 Big Ten): The Hoosiers already have one win in the bank over the Illini this season, a 73-65 victory on Jan. 3 when Indiana was 12-2 and ranked in the Top 25 before going into its tailspin. The effects of a long season might be catching up with freshman standout Romeo Langford, whose team-leading average has dipped to 16.9 points per game after he finished with nine in the latest win over Michigan State. Juwan Morgan is Indiana's second-leading scorer at 14.6 points per game and remains a force on the glass, averaging 8.4 rebounds after grabbing 11 against the Spartans.

ABOUT ILLINOIS (11-18, 7-11): The Fighting Illini have a better conference record than Wednesday's opponent and could finish as high as a tie for seventh in the standings with victories over Indiana and at Penn State on Saturday. Illinois ended a three-game losing streak that followed four consecutive wins with an 81-76 victory at home Sunday over Northwestern. In that game, Andres Feliz was the catalyst, scoring a career-high 26 points, making 16-of-17 free throws and adding five rebounds, three assists and a matching a career best with three steals.

TIP-INS

1. Illinois freshman Ayo Dosunmu is averaging a team-best 14.0 points per game along with Trent Frazier, and Dosunmu has scored in double figures 20 times this season.

2. Aaron Jordan, one of three Illinois seniors playing his final home game Wednesday, has grabbed 10 rebounds in three games this season, including Sunday against Northwestern.

3. Indiana freshman Rob Phinisee dealt with the effects of a concussion this season and missed the first matchup against Illinois, but seems to be returning to form, averaging 9.7 points in his last three games and committing a total of one turnover in the wins over Wisconsin and Michigan State last week.

PREDICTION: Indiana 74, Illinois 71