Iowa has lost nine out of its last 10 games against the Fighting Illini, but hopes Ben McCollum can swing the tide back to the Hawkeyes' favor.
Another chapter of the historic Iowa-Illinois rivalry will be written on Sunday afternoon, when the No. 19 Hawkeyes play host to the No. 16 Fighting Illini at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The rivalry has heavily favored Illinois (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) since 2020, where it has won nine of the last 10 meetings and two of the last three in Iowa City. Iowa (12-3, 2-2) is hoping new coach Ben McCollum's arrival will change its fortunes. Carver-Hawkeye Arena hasn't been at full capacity for a men's basketball game since the 2023-24 season, but was close to reaching sell out status on Thursday afternoon. Either way, all signs point to a fantastic game and atmosphere in CHA on Sunday afternoon.
Illinois will likely come in as a slight favorite, but this game is the definition of a pick 'em. Iowa's lack of a quality win combined with the loss to Minnesota on Tuesday has led to some underestimating this group, but McCollum's team is capable of beating any team on their schedule, especially as the crowds begin filling back into Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
But until that quality win occurs, the Fighting Illini are going to get more recognition from the national media. Ninth-year head coach Brad Underwood has done wonders reviving Illinois basketball, and he's got another good team this year. Underwood isn't afraid of scheduling premiere non-conference games, and his Illini played four top-15 ranked teams - defeating Texas Tech and Tennessee, losing to UConn and Alabama.
Illinois' lone blemish in conference play was a home loss against unbeaten Nebraska at the buzzer, and it has responded with a 43-point win over border rival Missouri and victories over Big Ten bottom-feeders Penn State and Rutgers.
There's so many talented players on this Illini roster, but the main trio Hawkeye fans should watch for is Kylan Boswell (14.9 PPG), Andrej Stojaković (14.5 PPG), and Tomislav Ivisic (8.1 PPG). Neither really lights it up from distance (Ivisic is the highest at 35.7%), but you can count on one of them to make a key play in a big moment, whether that's Boswell crafting his own shot or Ivisic being left open on the top of the key for a three-pointer.
If Stojaković's last name sounds familiar, that's because it is. He's the son of legendary NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojaković, who made 1,760 three-pointers during his 13-year career, a total that ranked fourth at the time of his 2011 retirement and currently ranks 33rd today.
The younger Stojaković has played a vital role in Illinois' explosive offense, which scores 87.1 points per contest - second in the Big Ten behind No. 2 Michigan. The offensive success is even more impressive considering the Fighting Illini are tied for just the seventh-best three-point shooting percentage in the league (34.7). The poor outside shooting had a primary impact in losses to UConn (6/29) and Nebraska (10/29), but that's not going to be nearly enough to convince McCollum and Co. to back their defense off the three-point line.
The main question the Hawkeyes have coming into this game is their own offense, which sputtered too often in Tuesday night's loss to Minnesota. The Fighting Illini won't make scoring easy, as they hold their opponents to just 68.2 points per contest.
PREDICTION: Iowa 71, Illinois 67
This game will come down to the final minutes, but I'm leaning toward Iowa because of the home crowd. Illinois will definitely bring a large crowd over from Champaign, but the CHA crowd will rattle the Fighting Illini and allow the Hawkeyes to take control late. Having Bennett Stirtz also helps Iowa, too.
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