How to Watch Northwestern Men's Basketball vs No. 13 Illinois: Preview, Predictions, TV Channel

The Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball squad is looking to end a three-game losing skid with its first inter-conference victory of the 2025-26 season, with a Wednesday evening home tilt against the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Northwestern has gone 0-5 during its Big Ten contests thus far this year. The Wildcats are 6-2 overall at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

During their one encounter last year, Illinois bested Northwestern, 83-74. The club's 2025-26 leading scorer, Nick Martinelli, was limited to a middling 7-of-19 shooting line thanks to a stifling Fighting Illini defense.

Preview

The Illini, fresh off a 2-0 week, boast a formidable backcourt with a knack for clutch closes. Starting perimeter players Kylan Boswell, Keaton Wagner, and Andrej Stojakovic are all averaging at least 14.5 points on 46 percent or better field goal shooting.

Northwestern, meanwhile, has senior forward Nick Martinelli's offense, junior big man Arrinten Page's aptitude around the bucket as a scorer, rebounder, and shot rejector, and not much else in the way of consistent production.

Page has been a lowky force this season. His 6.1 rebounds a night rank 20th in the Big 10, while his 1.3 blocks are the 11th-most in the conference. His 61.1 percent effective field goal percentage is the sixth-best among Big Ten competitors. He also boasts a 25.8 PER (eighth-best in the conference), a 5.4 block percentage (also eighth), and a 13.3 total rebound percentage (13.3).

The Illini's frontcourt seems likely to be the biggest issue. U of I's average 42.3 boards a night are the 14th-most in the NCAA. Jumbo-sized brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic (Tomislav starts) and forward David Mirkovic are also box-out kings who permit a stifling 31.1 opponent boards (35th in the nation).

Mirkovic, a 6-foot-9 freshman, has been averaging 12.4 points and 8.6 boards a night. The Ivisics, meanwhile, boast thoroughly modern shot profiles for centers that will make them a nightmare for Page, starting power forward Tre Singleton and reserve freshman big Tyler Kropp to cover.

The 7-foot-1 Tomislav Ivisic, a sophomore, has been logging averages of 9.7 points on .500/.353/.727 shooting splits (very modern for a center), 4.5 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per bout. Zvonimir Ivisic, a junior, has been averaging 7.8 points while slashing .563/.380/.600, 5.2 rebounds, and a whopping 2.4 blocks in just 17.2 minutes off the bench.

Predictions

During its last Big Ten matchup, a 77-75 overtime defeat to Rutgers (yes, Rutgers is now in the Big Ten), Northwestern surrendered a massive lead. The game prior, a loss to Michigan State, fell apart in the second half. Glenview's own Nick Martinelli scored a career-best 34 points, and his efforts put Northwestern up by as many as 12 points before the Wildcats fell back down to earth.

So the question now becomes, can the team hold onto a lead against a Big Ten rival late into a game with a fairly predictable offensive hierarchy?

It's hard to see things working out, given the Wildcats' overreliance on Martinelli offensively and Page's probably being overextended defensively. The Illini have the perimeter play and interior versatility, plus a massive size advantage.

How to Watch, Listen

Matchup: Northwestern (8-8, 0-5 B1G) vs No. 13 University of Illinois (13-3, 4-1 B1G)
When: Wednesday, January 14
Where: Welsh–Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Watch: Big Ten Network (TV), FoxSportsGO (online)
Listen: WGN Radio 720 AM, The Varsity Network

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