How to watch Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Western Illinois Leathernecks: Live stream, TV channel, start time for Friday’s NCAA Basketball game

Who’s Playing

Western Illinois Leathernecks @ Illinois Fighting Illini

Current Records: Western Illinois 2-3, Illinois 4-1

How To Watch

• When: Friday, November 24, 2023 at 9 p.m. ET
• Where: State Farm Center — Champaign, Illinois
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Fubo (Try for free) Fubo’s holiday offer just kicked off – For a limited time, new subscribers can save $40 on Fubo’s Pro, Elite, and Premier plans ($20 off the first and second months)
• Ticket Cost: $10.00

What to Know

Illinois will be playing the full four quarters on Friday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will play host again and welcome the Western Illinois Leathernecks, where tip off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET at State Farm Center. Western Illinois took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Illinois, who comes in off a win.

Illinois has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 23 points or more this season. They blew past the Jaguars, posting a 88-60 win at home. The over/under was set at 148 points, so nice work oddsmakers; you were right on the money.

Among those leading the charge was Terrence Shannon Jr., who scored 24 points. He continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he’s played. Another player making a difference was Amani Hansberry, who scored 8 points along with 7 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Leathernecks came up short against the Beacons on Tuesday and fell 73-66.

Despite their loss, Western Illinois saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jesiah West, who scored 19 points along with 6 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Drew Cisse was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds.

The Fighting Illini’s win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for the Leathernecks, the last time they won on the road was back on November 8th. Having now lost three straight away games, they’ve bumped their record down to 2-3.

As mentioned, Illinois is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 26 points. This contest will be their sixth straight at home (so far over this stretch they are 1-4 against the spread).

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Illinois have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 47.2 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Western Illinois struggles in that department as they’ve been even better at 47.8 per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Come back here after the game to find expert analysis of the match and other NCAA Basketball content.

Odds

Illinois is a big 26-point favorite against Western Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Fighting Illini as a 25.5-point favorite.

The over/under is set at 140.5 points.

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