Here's my ticket. Now boarding the Northwestern fade train. The Wildcats have lost 11 in a row going 4-7 ATS during this span with eight of those defeats being by at least nine points. 
Illinois is 18-9, 10-6 in the Big Ten. The Illini remain in the hunt to win their first regular-season conference title in 15 years. So they shouldn't be taking the Wildcats lightly. Matchup-wise it should be no contest. Illinois leads the Big Ten in rebounding margin while ranking No. 1 in the nation in offensive rebounding. The Illini also hold a strong backcourt edge on Northwestern.
I'm surprised this game opened so low. Home teams have been covering at a high rate in the Big Ten. Perhaps that was a reason. But Northwestern is an exception. The Wildcats are 1-8 SU, 2-7 ATS during their past nine home games. The Wildcats displayed signs at the beginning of the season that their homecourt isn't going to mean much with losses to Merrimack and Radford. 
Northwestern has scored 61 or fewer points in six of its last eight games, while giving up an average of 78.7 points in its past four games. 
Illinois has held its last two opponents, Nebraska and Penn State on the road, to 59 and 56 points, respectively. 
Mismatch here. 

(Editor's note: Stephen Nover is one of the hottest college basketball handicappers in North America going 93-52-6 the past two years and 27-13-3 on his last 43 CBB plays! Don't miss any of Stephen's plays, all of which come with a winning guarantee.)