How to Watch No. 5 Illinois vs. Northwestern: TV, Tip-Off Time, More

It's no long just conjecture: Illinois proved with a definitive win over then-No. 5 Nebraska in Lincoln on Sunday – its second top-five road win in a week – that it is not just a Big Ten contender but a legitimate threat to make a national title run.

AP voters have finally begun to take note, too, bumping the Illini (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten) to No. 5 in Monday's latest Top 25 poll update. Did we mention Illinois' 11-game winning streak – or the fact that the roster isn't even whole until injured guards Kylan Boswell and Ty Rodgers return? That's a lot to take in if you're Northwestern (10-12, 2-9), which comes hobbling into the back half of its home-and-home with Illinois on Wednesday (8 p.m. CT, FS1) at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli is in the midst of one of the all-time-great individual single-season performances (23.7 points and 6.8 rebounds, 47.6 percent three-point shooting), but it has been wasted on an otherwise ragtag outfit. Coach Chris Collins gets more out of his players than most would, and he has had more success against Illinois than any coach in NU history. Then again, since being hired in the spring of 2013, Collins has yet to take a game off the Illini in Champaign.

Here’s more information about Wednesday's in-state Big Ten matchup::

How to watch No. 5 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Northwestern Wildcats

Orange you glad you're an Illini fan?

📅 Feb. 4
🆚 Northwestern
⏰ 8 p.m. CT
📍State Farm Center
📺 Big Ten Network
🎟️ https://t.co/Z41NM6A2mI pic.twitter.com/9fRgz7kAyN
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 3, 2026

Who: Illinois Fighting Illini (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten) vs. Northwestern (10-12, 2-9)
What: Big Ten matchup
When: Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. CT
Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
TV/streaming: BTN
Radio/audio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (Champaign: WDWS 93.9 FM or 1400 AM; Chicago: WLS 890 AM); Fighting Illini Productions; Varsity Network App
Last week: Illinois ran its win streak to 11 games, avenged its lone Big Ten defeat and planted its flag with a 78-69 win at Nebraska, following a 75-66 win over Washington in Champaign. Northwestern, after picking up its second Big Ten win in three games with a 94-73 beatdown of Penn State in Evanston, then lost at home to Washington, 76-62.
Series history: The Illini hold an immense 145-46 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series, including two in a row – most recently, a gritty 79-68 win in Evanston. Northwestern has managed to split the past six games with Illinois, but it hasn't won in Champaign since 2013.

Heading to the line.

Tomi draws the foul off the layup!

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/cZVFk8xNJJ
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 15, 2026

What to know about Northwestern

Again, Northwestern is more or less a one-man-show, with Martinelli sweating through every on-stage role and the rest of the Wildcats doing their best to just keep the lights on in the place. Say this for them, though: Collins' Wildcats compete, scrapping, squeezing all that they can out of their abilities and occasionally wrecking a better team's night. That seems unlikely in this case, but for more on the details, check out Illinois on SI's (second) First Look at Northwestern.