The Northwestern Wildcats are massive underdogs on Wednesday night, when they head south on I-57 to face their in-state rivals.

Illinois is now the No. 5 team in the nation amid an 11-game winning streak, and its 10-1 conference record is tied for the Big Ten lead with No. 2 Michigan. The Fighting Illini avenged their lone Big Ten loss to the No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday and are looking to complete the season sweep over the 'Cats, which hasn't happened since 2021-22.

When the two previously faced off in Evanston on Jan. 14, the Illini came away with a 79-68 victory. Illinois led by double digits for much of the second half, and although Northwestern cut its deficit to just four points in the final minutes, the Wildcats couldn't quite pull much closer to complete the comeback.

Nick Martinelli leads the nation in scoring with an average of 23.7 points per game, despite snapping his 12-game streak of at least 20 points in Northwestern's most recent loss to Washington. Although the 'Cats largely struggled on offense against the Huskies last Saturday, the reemergence of center Arrinten Page provided a bright spot for Chris Collins' squad.

Page began the season as a solid 1B to Martinelli's 1A, but saw his playing time plummet as Collins moved to a lineup centered around his true freshmen. The Cincinnati transfer played just three minutes against Penn State. However, Page became a critical piece on both ends of the floor in NU's battle with Washington, compiling 16 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and a steal in 26 minutes.

As the Wildcats attempt to right the ship and defeat their rivals, here's everything you need to know about Wednesday night's matchup between Northwestern and No. 5 Illinois:

Northwestern Wildcats (10-12, 2-9 B1G) at No. 5 Illinois Fighting Illini (19-3, 10-1 B1G)

Location: State Farm Center | Champaign, Illinois

Tipoff: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. CT

TV: Big Ten Network | Announcers: Kevin Kugler, Jess Settles

Radio: ESPN 1000 WMVP & SiriusXM Radio Channel 385 | Announcers: Dave Eanet, Billy McKinney

Student Radio: WNUR Sports 89.3 FM & Mixlr

Betting Line: Illinois -15.5

Over/Under: 150.5 points

Moneyline: Illinois -6000, Northwestern +900

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Northwestern OUT:

None

Illinois OUT: