NCAA Basketball Prediction: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Indiana Hoosiers
Thursday, February 09, 2012
by Mike Stewart
Illinois Fighting Illini and No. 23 Indiana Hoosiers split their two meetings last season, the home team winning both times. The Hoosiers have been one of the best home sides in the country this year, going 13-1 in Assembly Hall. Those friendly confines are a big reason why Indiana is the third-best 3-point shooting team in the country at 43.1 percent. Illinois has dominated Indiana in recent years, going 5-1 in their last six encounters – with the lone blemish coming in Bloomington. The Fighting Illini have just one win in their last five games and need a resume victory over a ranked Hoosiers squad to stay in the conversation for the NCAA Tournament.
- Illinois Fighting Illini @ Indiana Hoosiers
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 9, 2012
Where: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: ET, Big Ten Network
The Hoosiers have opened as 6-point favorites on SBG Global Sportsbook’s Live NCAA Basketball Odds.
Illinois Fighting Illini (16-7): Outside of an ugly win over Michigan State, the Illinois defense has been porous. The Illini showed no toughness in a 74-70 loss to Northwestern, which shot over 60 percent from the floor. And Illinois was outworked in a 77-72 overtime loss to Minnesota, which battled back to force overtime and won 13-8 in the added frame. Opponents are getting to the rim at will, despite the presence of 7-footer Meyers Leonard, who leads the Big Ten in blocks (2.1 per game).
Indiana Hoosiers (18-6): Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean is proud of his young team after a tough stretch of Big Ten schedule. Indiana is coming off a string of seven games in which five were on the road, namely stops at Ohio State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan and Purdue. The Hoosiers went just 2-5 in that span, but Crean believes that gauntlet has prepared his players for the home stretch of the conference slate, which has Indiana at home in five of its final seven contests.
1. Illinois has played eight straight contests decided by five points or less, going 4-4.
2. Indiana’s six-win improvement from last season is the biggest improvement among major conference teams this season.
3. The Illini are struggling at the foul line in their last two games, shooting 28 for 46 (60.8 percent). For the season, Illinois shoots 70.6 percent from the charity stripe.
NCAA BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Hoosiers 74, Fighting Illini 63.
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