Nebraska (10-8, 2-3)
All-time: 7-4 (2014-15: 43-53, 1/11 at Neb.; 69-57, 3/4 at Ill.)
Tip-off: 1:30 p.m. at State Farm Center
TV: Big Ten Network
No matter what Nebraska has done so far this season, Saturday’s game is a must-win for Illinois if only because the team needs to capitalize on its momentum after beating #20 Purdue last weekend. Having five days of rest between games is surely a blessing, given the how injury-prone this Illini roster is, but it could be a negative if the team lacks the fire it showed last Sunday.
As for Nebraska, they are an intriguing bunch this year. Kansas transfer Andrew White has been great, replacing Terran Petteway’s output and some. He has and average of 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds coming into the game, leading the Huskers in both categories. Shavon Shields (15.5, 5.4) is a great foil for him as well. The team has a pair of Illinois natives that could try to show Groce what he missed in-state in Glynn Watson and Ed Morrow, Simeon teammate of DJ Williams.
So far, the Cornhuskers toughest conference opponent has been Iowa (who is plenty good, evidenced by beating MSU last night). In games against the mid-top tier teams, Nebraska has struggled, but in its last two against Minnesota and Rutgers (the basement of the Big Ten), they’ve won big. It’s hard to draw any conclusions about how this match-up might play out based on previous games, as such it could be a close one.
Predicted lineups
Nebraska: Benn Parker, guard; Glynn Watson, guard; Andrew White, guard; Shavon Shields, forward; Michael Jacobson, forward
Illinois: Jaylon Tate, guard; Aaron Jordan, guard; Kendrick Nunn, guard; Malcolm Hill, guard; Michael Finke, forward
Gut feeling
I don’t think Illinois wins by double-digits or shooting 50% from everywhere, but I see them learning lessons from the Purdue game and applying them here. In particular, another strong second half performance. That means keeping energy up and not allowing a multi-minute shooting slump to kill the game off.