The Big Ten Conference’s hottest team looks to keep rolling on Wednesday night when the No. 5 Illinois Fighting Illini (19-3) put their 11-game winning streak on the line as the Northwestern Wildcats (10-12) visit State Farm Arena.
How to Watch Northwestern vs #5 Illinois
- When: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
- Time: 9:00 PM ET
- TV Channel: Big Ten Network
- Live Stream: Fubo (try for free)
Illinois grabbed a share of the Big Ten Conference lead on Sunday, improving to 10-1 with a 78-69 victory at then-No. 5 Nebraska. Keaton Wagler led the way with 28 points while Jake Davis dropped 13, and Tomislav Ivisic finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. David Mirkovic also snared eight rebounds as the Fighting Illini came back from a six-point halftime deficit by holding the Cornhuskers to 39.3% shooting in the second half.
Northwestern has won two of its last four but fell to 2-9 in conference play on Saturday night with a 76-62 loss to visiting Washington. Nick Martinelli went for 19 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats, while Arrinten Page posted 16 points and three blocked shots off the bench, and fellow reserve Jayden Reid tossed in 11 points.
The Fighting Illini won the first meeting between the teams this season, claiming a 79-68 road win on Jan. 14 to extend their lead in the all-time series to 146-45. Wagler averages 18.1 points for Illinois, with Andrej Stojakovic netting 13.3 points per game and Mirkovic posting 12.4 points and 8.2 rebounds a night. Zvonimir Ivisic blocks 2.3 shots per contest as well. Martinelli leads the nation with an average of 23.7 points and also grabs 6.8 rebounds per game for Northwestern, while Page gets 11.7 points per game and Reid puts up 10.5 points and 5.3 assists per game.
This is a great college basketball matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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