Illinois basketball vs Washington Huskies: Trap game? Or 10th Straight Win

Illinois basketball will return home Thursday night to host the Washington Huskies inside the State Farm Center. The Illini have faced Washington in Champaign just once before, with that matchup coming back in 1991. Illinois won that game 76–55 and will look to repeat history with another home victory.

Date: Thursday, January 29
Time: 8:00 p.m. CST
TV: FS1
Line: Illinois -12.5

Illinois is coming off its best win of the season after knocking off No. 4 Purdue inside Mackey Arena. Freshman Keaton Wagler delivered a historic performance, scoring a program-record 46 points for a freshman, while the Illini knocked down an impressive 18 three-pointers. The victory keeps Illinois tied atop the Big Ten standings in the loss column alongside Michigan, Nebraska, and Michigan State.

A win over Washington would give Illinois another Quad 2 victory and help it maintain pace with the conference’s top contenders. The Huskies enter the matchup at 11–9 overall and have lost three of their last four games. While they are coming off a home win against Oregon, Washington is just 3–6 in Big Ten play.

Illinois should be in a position to cruise to another win on Thursday night, but this game has the makings of a potential trap with a top-10 showdown against Nebraska looming on Sunday. Nebraska lost to Michigan on Tuesday night and will have extra rest before hosting the Illini this weekend.

The Huskies are currently ranked No. 48 in KenPom and will face a stiff challenge against the No. 4-ranked Fighting Illini. Washington does boast one of the best players on the floor in freshman Hannes Steinbach, but it may not be enough. The 6-foot-11 freshman from Germany is averaging 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds while shooting 52.4 percent from the field.

Steinbach is projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but Illinois basketball should be able to defend home court and secure its ninth conference win. The Illini will once again be without starting guard Kylan Boswell, but that shouldn’t prevent them from picking up another meaningful victory.

Score Prediction: Illinois 80, Washington 67