Buie leads No. 21 Northwestern against Illinois after 23-point game

Published Feb. 23, 2023 3:43 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Northwestern Wildcats (20-7, 11-5 Big Ten) at Illinois Fighting Illini (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten)

Champaign, Illinois; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Illinois -5.5; over/under is 136

BOTTOM LINE: No. 21 Northwestern faces the Illinois Fighting Illini after Boo Buie scored 23 points in Northwestern's 80-60 win against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Fighting Illini are 13-2 on their home court. Illinois is seventh in the Big Ten in team defense, allowing 65.4 points while holding opponents to 40.9% shooting.

The Wildcats have gone 11-5 against Big Ten opponents. Northwestern has a 4-2 record in one-possession games.

TOP PERFORMERS: Terrence Shannon Jr. is averaging 17 points for the Fighting Illini. Matthew Mayer is averaging 14.8 points over the last 10 games for Illinois.

Buie is averaging 17 points and 4.6 assists for the Wildcats. Chase Audige is averaging 15.6 points and 2.5 steals over the past 10 games for Northwestern.

LAST 10 GAMES: Fighting Illini: 6-4, averaging 72.0 points, 35.8 rebounds, 10.9 assists, 5.5 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.1 points per game.

Wildcats: 8-2, averaging 67.7 points, 27.6 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 6.8 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.6 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.