Iowa @ Illinois preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2020 ) Illinois 65, Iowa 72

No. 23 Illinois looks to head into the Big Ten Tournament on a positive note after it hosts 18th-ranked Iowa on Sunday. The Fighting Illini had their four-game winning streak snapped following a 71-63 loss to No. 19 Ohio State on Thursday, but they've already won more conference games since 2004-05 squad that went 15-1 and went to the NCAA finals.

“We have another one and there’s lots to play for,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood told reporters. “It’s what this league is all about.” Iowa suffered its first home defeat since early November after dropping a 77-68 decision to Purdue on Tuesday. The high-flying Hawkeyes, who lead the Big Ten in scoring, were limited to 37.5 percent shooting from the field, and they hope to bounce back by knocking off the Fighting Illini for the sixth consecutive time. “I don’t think the effort was there,” Iowa forward Luka Garza told reporters. “It's something we’re going to learn from and it gives us more motivation for Sunday.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT IOWA (20-10, 11-8 Big Ten): Garza poured in 26 points and corralled 12 rebounds in the loss to Purdue to register his team-leading 15th double-double of the season. Garza also broke John Johnson’s program record for most points in a single season (699), which stood since 1970 while moving into 12th place on the Hawkeyes’ all-time scoring chart. Joe Wieskamp added 10 points and seven boards while Ryan Kriener had nine points in his final home game, but Iowa was doomed by a 37.5 percent shooting performance from the field.

ABOUT ILLINOIS (20-10, 12-7): Ayo Dosunmu scored a game-high 21 points and dished out five assists, but the Fighting Illini couldn’t hold on to a seven-point halftime lead in the loss to Ohio State. Andres Feliz added 11 points and 11 rebounds to register his third double-double of the season while Kofi Cockburn, who is averaging 13.4 points and 8.8 rebounds, was limited to six points and three boards due to foul trouble. “We had a lot of great looks that unfortunately didn’t go in,” Feliz told reporters. “We didn’t make enough shots in the second half.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Illinois leads the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+7).

2. Garza has scored 20 or more points in 15 straight Big Ten games.

3. Dosunmu is averaging 20 points over his last five outings.

PREDICTION: Illinois 76, Iowa 71