Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Nebraska looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 40-31 lead against Illinois.
Nebraska entered the match with six straight defeats and they’re well on their way to making it seven. Can they turn things around, or will Illinois hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
Illinois Fighting Illini @ Nebraska Cornhuskers
Current Records: Illinois 14-6, Nebraska 12-8
How To Watch
What to Know
Illinois is 9-1 against Nebraska since December of 2018, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. Both will face off in a Big Ten battle at 8:30 p.m. ET at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Despite being away, the Fighting Illini are looking at a 4.5-point advantage in the spread.
Last Sunday, Illinois earned an 83-74 win over Northwestern.
Illinois’ victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kylan Boswell, who posted 17 points along with six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Morez Johnson Jr., who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds.
Illinois smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That’s the most offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in January of 2024.
Meanwhile, Nebraska’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Sunday after their sixth straight loss. There’s no need to mince words: Nebraska lost to Wisconsin, and Nebraska lost bad. The score wound up at 83-55.
Illinois’ win bumped their record up to 14-6. As for Nebraska, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-8.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Illinois hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 85.8 points per game. However, it’s not like Nebraska struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 75.4. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Illinois beat Nebraska 98-87 in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Will Illinois repeat their success, or does Nebraska have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Illinois is a 4.5-point favorite against Nebraska, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Fighting Illini, as the game opened with the Fighting Illini as a 2.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 154.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Illinois has won 9 out of their last 10 games against Nebraska.
- Mar 16, 2024 – Illinois 98 vs. Nebraska 87
- Feb 04, 2024 – Illinois 87 vs. Nebraska 84
- Jan 31, 2023 – Illinois 72 vs. Nebraska 56
- Jan 10, 2023 – Illinois 76 vs. Nebraska 50
- Jan 11, 2022 – Illinois 81 vs. Nebraska 71
- Feb 25, 2021 – Illinois 86 vs. Nebraska 70
- Feb 12, 2021 – Illinois 77 vs. Nebraska 72
- Feb 24, 2020 – Illinois 71 vs. Nebraska 59
- Feb 02, 2019 – Illinois 71 vs. Nebraska 64
- Dec 02, 2018 – Nebraska 75 vs. Illinois 60
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