5 huge observations from the Illinois basketball win over Northwestern

It has been a long time since I have sweated an Illinois basketball result.

The Illini went into the Northwestern game up in Evanston and notched win No. 6 in a row. The last time we lost a game was to the now-No. 8 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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While the Wildcats made the game close on paper, I honestly didn’t feel nervous in this contest. Illinois had control for the entire game. There wasn’t a single player I had an issue with, as everyone played decently well and contributed to this victory.

Illinois was down three points about halfway through the first half. That is when we started to get into gear. Northwestern battled, but Illinois still took a 38-33 lead into halftime. That lead blossomed in the second half. The Illini lead hit double-digits less than four minutes into the second half, and we never looked back. Illinois ended up winning the game, 79-68.

Here are five big observations from the Illinois basketball win over Northwestern

1. Illinois once again kept a star player in check

It has been the name of the game for Illinois as of late. We go into a game against a weaker team, but that team has an elite player who can put up a number on any given night.

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In the game prior to the win over Northwestern, Illinois held Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz to just 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the field. This is a player who averages 17.7 points per game.

Illinois was then going up against the Wildcats’ talented senior, Nick Martinelli. He has put up big numbers on us in the past, and he is averaging 23.8 points per game. I mentioned before the game that if Illinois was able to hold Martinelli to his season average, then we would win this game.

Well, fast forward to the day after, and that prediction rang true. Martinelli finished with a pedestrian 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field. He wasn’t his same electric self, as Illinois’ size and speed go to him throughout the contest.

If Illinois can continue this trend, especially against good teams, then we have…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/5-huge-observations-illinois-basketball-235214263.html

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Publish date : 2026-01-15 23:52:00

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