Martinelli leads Northwestern against No. 13 Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten) at Northwestern Wildcats (8-8, 0-5 Big Ten)
Evanston, Illinois; Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Northwestern hosts No. 13 Illinois after Nick Martinelli scored 34 points in Northwestern's 77-75 overtime loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
The Wildcats have gone 6-2 at home. Northwestern averages 79.1 points and has outscored opponents by 7.9 points per game.
The Fighting Illini are 4-1 in Big Ten play. Illinois is 2-0 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 9.8 turnovers per game.
Northwestern makes 47.7% of its shots from the field this season, which is 8.2 percentage points higher than Illinois has allowed to its opponents (39.5%). Illinois has shot at a 47.7% rate from the field this season, 6.1 percentage points greater than the 41.6% shooting opponents of Northwestern have averaged.
The Wildcats and Fighting Illini match up Wednesday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Martinelli is averaging 24.1 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Wildcats. Arrinten Page is averaging 11.7 points over the last 10 games.
Keaton Wagler is scoring 15.7 points per game and averaging 5.2 rebounds for the Fighting Illini. Andrej Stojakovic is averaging 13.1 points and 4.7 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Wildcats: 3-7, averaging 77.2 points, 30.3 rebounds, 18.3 assists, 5.3 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.8 points per game.
Fighting Illini: 8-2, averaging 80.1 points, 36.9 rebounds, 15.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.4 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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