Illinois basketball takes on the Iowa Hawkeyes in a major Big Ten showdown

Illinois basketball will travel to Iowa City on Sunday for a massive Big Ten showdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Illini will look to extend their winning streak to five games and secure their fourth conference victory of the season.

Date: Sunday, January 11
Time: 11:00 AM CST
Channel: FOX
Line: Iowa -1.5

Iowa enters the matchup as a slight favorite at Carver-Hawkeye Arena despite a three-point road loss to Minnesota in its last outing. The Hawkeyes have fallen to 2–2 in Big Ten play but continue to rate highly in most analytical metrics.

Still searching for its first Quad 1 victory, Iowa would greatly boost its NCAA Tournament resume with a win in Ben McCollum’s first season. This matchup qualifies as a Quad 1A opportunity for both teams and could ultimately be the difference in an entire seed line on Selection Sunday.

A victory would give Illinois basketball its third Quad 1A win and serve as a strong indicator of whether the Illini are legitimate Big Ten championship contenders. Nebraska, Purdue, Michigan, and Michigan State have begun to separate themselves at the top of the league, and Illinois will need to keep pace.

Expect this game to be played at one of the slowest tempos Illinois has seen all season. Iowa will look to control the pace and grind out a win, while Illinois must remain disciplined and efficient to earn its third road victory of the year.

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