Associated Press

Arkansas Razorbacks (5-1) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1)

Kansas City, Missouri; Thursday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 19 Arkansas and Illinois square off in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Fighting Illini are 5-1 in non-conference play. Illinois is 5-1 in games decided by at least 10 points.

The Razorbacks have a 5-1 record against non-conference oppponents. Arkansas ranks seventh in the SEC shooting 35.5% from 3-point range.

Illinois scores 89.0 points, 29.8 more per game than the 59.2 Arkansas gives up. Arkansas has shot at a 50.3% rate from the field this season, 15.9 percentage points above the 34.4% shooting opponents of Illinois have averaged.

TOP PERFORMERS: Will Riley is shooting 54.8% from beyond the arc with 2.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Fighting Illini, while averaging 17.2 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Boogie Fland is shooting 48.1% from beyond the arc with 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Razorbacks, while averaging 17.2 points, 5.5 assists and 2.2 steals.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (4-7) Preview:

The Fighting Illini are 8-3, ranked inside the top 25, and are bowl eligible. They travel to Evanston, Illinois, to take on the 4-7 Northwestern Wildcats. With the Wildcats winning 45-43 last season, you can expect Brett Bielema to have his boys ready to finish the season strong.

The Illini enter this contest, winning back-to-back games and scoring 38 points in both. Their offense has been humming since the dud against Minnesota.

Northwestern is on a horrid skid, having lost four of its last five games. Their lone win was a 26-20 overtime victory over Purdue.

Now they try to close their season with a win over Illinois as a 7-point underdog.

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Game Details & How to Watch Illinois vs. Northwestern:

• Date: Saturday, November 30, 2024
• Time: 12:00 PM EST
• Site: Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium
• City: Evanston, IL
• TV/Streaming: Big Ten Network

Game Odds for Illinois at Northwestern via BetMGM:

• Moneyline: Illinois (-250), Northwestern (+240)
• Spread: Illinois -7.5
• Total: 44.5

Betting Insights and Predictions:

NBC Sports Bet’s expert, Brad Thomas, is leaning towards Illinois -7.5 in this matchup.

Thomas: “I don’t have a very strong read on this game. On paper, the Illini should dominate the Wildcats. They are inside the top 50 in EPA margin and offensively, this team can put points on the board, which feels like the complete opposite thing can be said about Northwestern. They are 132 in net points per drive and 124^th in offensive success rate. Illinois probably wins this game by double digits.”

Names to Know for Illinois at Northwestern:

• Illinois Fighting Illini: QB Luke Altmyer – Altmyer has thrown for 2,373 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just three interceptions.
• Northwestern Wildcats: QB Jack Lausch – Lausch has thrown for 1,427 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest player news from the NFL and MLB. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

BetMGM College Football Insights: National Championship

Line movement (Last Week to Now)

· Ohio State +320 to +275

· Georgia +500 to +400

· Texas +500 to +450

Highest Ticket%

· Ohio State 13.4%

· Texas 11.1%

· Georgia 10.5%

Betting Trends & Insights Ahead of Illinois at Northwestern:

• Illinois is 4-1 against the spread in its last 5 road games
• Northwestern has lost 4 of its last 5 games
• The average total game score (49.5) in Illinois’ last 10 road games is over the Total (44)

For more betting analysis and insights, follow our experts on social media:

– Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)

– Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)