Illinois basketball to face 11th ranked Texas Tech: How to watch and Game Prediction

Illinois basketball is  2-0 and will host the No. 11-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders inside the State Farm Center on Tuesday night. This matchup will be the biggest non-conference game in Champaign this season.

Date: Tuesday, November 11
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Channel: FS1
Line: Illinois -3.5

The week two AP Top 25 Poll was released, and both Illinois and Texas Tech were included in the top 15. The winner of this game will likely earn a massive Quad 1 victory and take a major step toward securing a high seed on Selection Sunday in March.

These two programs have never faced each other, but they’re set to meet Tuesday night in Champaign, with a return matchup scheduled for next season in Lubbock.

This matchup will be the Illini’s toughest test yet, and Texas Tech could be their best non-conference opponent of the season. The Red Raiders are coming off an Elite Eight appearance and return two preseason All-Big 12 players in JT Toppin and Christian Anderson.

Brad Underwood announced on Monday that star center Tomislav Ivisic will not play on Tuesday night. Freshman Brandon Lee will sit out for a second straight game.

“Mihailo Petrovic will probably be in uniform. We’ll see how it reacts today,” said Brad Underwood on Monday.

Mihailo Petrovic is expected to suit up on Tuesday night.  He hasn’t practiced much, so don’t expect him to log heavy minutes. In fact, I would not be surprised to see Petrovic not play a single minute on Tuesday. Nonetheless, it’s a positive sign for Illinois Basketball to have someone coming off the injury report ahead of such an important game.

Prediction: Illinois wins this one. 83-82 Illini.

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