Northwestern @ Illinois preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 3, 2019 ) Northwestern 76, Illinois 81

No. 11 seed Illinois will battle 14th-seeded Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday in Chicago. The Fighting Illini seemed poised to turn the corner under second-year coach Brad Underwood after winning four consecutive games in early February, including an impressive 79-74 victory against Michigan State, but proceeded to drop five of their next six contests, and hope to get back on track by notching its first win in the conference tournament since 2016.

"March basketball is all about win and advance," Underwood told reporters. "We've proven we can be really good and beat anybody, so I'm expecting that." Barring a miracle run in the conference tournament Northwestern will miss out on March Madness for the second straight year after finishing the regular season with its most conference losses since dropping 17 games in 2007-08. The Wildcats limp into the tournament with a 1-11 record since Jan. 26, including an 81-76 setback to Illinois on Mar. 3, and hope to get over the disappointment of missing the postseason by knocking off their in-state rivals. "I'm excited to get a chance to go to another Big Ten Tournament with them and see what we can do," Northwestern coach Chris Collins told reporters. "Top to bottom, this conference has been the best in my opinion."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (13-18): A.J. Turner knocked down four 3-pointers en route to 14 points to lead the team in scoring for the first time this season, but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats dropped a 70-57 decision to Purdue on Saturday. Vic Law added 13 points and seven rebounds before leaving the final home game of his career early with a leg injury, but X-rays came back negative; he's expected to play on Wednesday. Anthony Gaines tallied nine points while Dererk Pardon, who is the program's all-time leader in field goal percentage (60.3), scored eight points but was held to 3-of-11 shooting from the floor against the Boilermakers.

ABOUT ILLINOIS (11-20): Ayo Dosunmu was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team after averaging 14.1 points and 3.1 assists this season while becoming the first true freshman ever to lead the Illini in scoring. Dosunmu produced 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals, while fellow freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili also scored 16 points to go along with five rebounds in the 72-56 loss to Penn State in the regular-season finale. Andres Feliz tallied nine points while Trent Frazier, who earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Honorable Mention list, was limited to a season-low three points against the Nittany Lions.

TIP-INS

1. Illinois has won all three meetings with Northwestern at the United Center.

2. Dosunmu needs one more 20-point game to equal the program record set by Cory Bradford (eight) in 1999.

3. The Wildcats have been held to 57 points or fewer in eight of their last 12 games.

PREDICTION: Illinois 71, Northwestern 63