Pick: Illinois +9.5
Preview: Indiana vs Illinois
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Indiana will earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if it emerges as the tournament champion and maybe even if it doesn’t. Still, the Hoosiers are placing a do-or-die spin on the tournament. “I think we just need to take it one game at a time and treat each game like it’s your last,” junior guard Victor Oladipo said. “It’s win or go home.” Illinois senior guard Brandon Paul put on a show against Minnesota by scoring 25 points and draining the game-winning 15-footer at the buzzer. “I saw I had some space, so I let the shot go with the buzzer winding down,” Paul said.
TV: 12 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT INDIANA (26-5): Oladipo and sophomore forward Cody Zeller earned first-team all-conference accolades and are among four Hoosiers scoring in double digits. Zeller lead in both scoring (16.8) and rebounding (8.1) while Oladipo is averaging 13.7 points and leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (61.4). Senior forward Christian Watford (12.4) and senior guard Jordan Hulls (10.5) also score in double digits. Hulls (48.7) and Watford (48.6) rank one-two in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage. Freshman point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell has been up to the task of running the offense, averaging 7.7 points and 4.3 assists.
ABOUT ILLINOIS (22-11): Paul made 10-of-16 shots against Minnesota while scoring 20 or more points for the 11th time this season and 24th in his career. The other Illinois players went a combined 8-for-40 and Paul was the only player to score more than six points. Senior guard D.J. Richardson struggled through a 2-of-12 effort but nailed a game-tying 3-pointer with 44 seconds left prior to Paul’s game-winning hoop. Richardson scored 23 points in the regular-season upset of the Hoosiers and has made at least one 3-pointer in all 33 games this season. The Fighting Illini committed just six turnovers against Minnesota while forcing 19.
TIP-INS
1. Illinois has won six of the past eight meetings with Indiana.
2. The victory over Minnesota marked the second time Illinois held a team under 50 points this season. The Illini held Northwestern to 41 on Feb. 17.
3. Oladipo has 69 steals, five shy of the single-season school record set by Isiah Thomas (1980-81).
PREDICTION: Indiana 75, Illinois 70