CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The timing is not good for Indiana to show up in Champaign for its annual matchup with the Illinois. The Fighting Illini is one of the best teams in the country, but they've just lost two straight games in overtime, and they're seething.

The Hoosiers, who have won five of six themselves, will have their hands full at the State Farm Center, which is always a tough place to play. No. 8 Illinois is a double-digit favorite in the nationally televised game. They had won 12 straight before the two gut-wrenching OT losses.

Two of the most dynamic scorers will be featured in this game, Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson and Illinois' Keaton Wagler. Wilkerson, the 6-foot-6 senior guard who leads the Big Ten in scoring, has gone off for 44 points against Penn State in December and then 41 on Monday night in the win over Oregon. 

Wagler, a 6-foot-6 freshman, exploded for 46 points against Purdue on Jan. 24, the most ever by an opponent at Mackey Arena. He had 34 in the overtime loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday, and has scored 20 points or more eight times this season. 

Here's how to watch Sunday's nationally televised game:

Who: Indiana Hoosiers (17-8, 8-6 in Big Ten) at Illinois Fighting Illini (20-5, 11-3 in Big Ten). 
What: Big Ten conference regular season game.
When: Sunday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m. ET.
Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Ill.
TV: CBS — Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Clark Kellogg (analyst).
Radio: IU Radio Network — Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (analyst), John Herrick
Point spread: Illinois is a 10.5-point favorite over Indiana, and the over/under is 142.5 points, according to the Fanduel.com gambling website.
Series history: Indiana leads the series 96-93. Oregon won twice last year, but Indiana won the first three meetings as part of the Far West Classic in Portland, Ore. The Hoosiers won in 1966, 1973 and 1978.
Last meeting: Illinois defeated Indiana 94-69 on Jan. 14, 2025 in Bloomington, Ind., the second loss in a 1-7 stretch that led to the demise of Indiana coach Mike Woodson.  Their last meeting in Champaign came on Jan. 27, 2024, with Illinois winning 70-62. Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with 21 points. Indiana shot 0-for-9 from three-point range. 

I've been coming to Champaign for Indiana-Illinois games for nearly 50 years now and there's been a lot of great game. Here are my three favorites:

1. THE MIKE WOODSON GAME: My first trip to Champaign remains my favorite. Mike Woodson and I were juniors at Indiana on March 4, 1979, and Woody went off for 48 points in the final game of the regular season. It's still the third-highest total in a game by an Indiana player, and he was unstoppable all night. The Hoosiers won 82-60 and finished the season with an 18-12 record. They got an invite to the NIT Tournament — which the won by beating Texas Tech, Alcorn State, Ohio State and Purdue to claim the crown. 

2. THE TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS GAME: There's no question that Trayce Jackson-Davis has been my favorite player to cover in this last eight-year run, and he had one of his best games in Champaign on Jan. 19, 2023. Jackson-Davis went for 35 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots in the 80-65 win. The win was part of the Hoosiers' hot streak where they went 8-1 during nine Big Ten games and finished second in the league. 

3. THE ERIC GORDON GAME: Eric Gordon had been committed to Illinois for a long time, but flipped at the last minute to play for Kelvin Sampson at Indiana. He only stayed one year, but the 2007-08 campaign was memorable for a lot of reasons. The Hoosiers won in Bloomington in early January, and there was a ton of build-up to the Feb. 7 rematch in Champaign. I've never seen a player — and his family — team treated so badly by Illini fans. The game was incredible — the Hoosiers won 83-79 in double overtime and the smile on Gordon's face afterward was memorable. He didn't play particularly great — he was just 3-for-13 shooting, but made 10-of-12 free throws for 19 points. It was the ultimate revenge.