13th-Ranked Illini Visit Northwestern Wednesday Night

Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 287-131 (.687), 13th year
At Illinois: 178-104 (.631), 9th year
Big Ten: 96-67 (.589)

Series History vs. Northwestern

All-Time Record / Streak: Illinois leads 145-45 / Illinois W-1
Last Meeting: #17 Illinois 83, Northwestern 74 (1/26/2025 in Champaign)
Record at Northwestern / Streak: Illinois leads 65-31 / Northwestern W-3
Last Meeting in Evanston: Northwestern 70, #19 Illinois 56 – OT (12/6/2024)
Underwood vs. Northwestern: 11-5

OPENING TIPS

• No. 13 Illinois carries a season-best five-game win streak into Wednesday night’s matchup at Northwestern. 
• The game is Illinois’ final contest of a stretch with three out of four Big Ten road games to open the new year.
• Illinois is 5-2 away from home, including 3-0 in road games, following Sunday’s 75-69 win at No. 19 Iowa.
• Illinois is aiming to start 4-0 on the road in Big Ten play for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
• The Fighting Illini carry a four-game road win streak dating back to last season, the program’s longest since winning five straight road games from Dec. 23, 2020 through Feb. 20, 2021. 
• Illinois is vying to improve to 14-3 overall, which would equal its best record through 17 games since 2012-13.
• Illinois is No. 13 in the latest AP and coaches polls. The Illini have reached as high as No. 8 (Nov. 17) this season. Illinois has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons under Brad Underwood.
• Illinois is the tallest team in the nation, with an average height of 79.5 inches (kenpom).
• Andrej Stojakovic is 11 points away (989) from joining Kylan Boswell (1,173) in the 1,000-career point club. 
• Four Fighting Illini average better than 12 points per game, tied for second nationally: Keaton Wagler (15.7), Kylan Boswell (14.7 ppg), Andrej Stojakovic (14.5) and David Mirkovic (12.4). 
• Illinois ranks first nationally with seven players averaging better than 4.0 rebounds per game this season: David Mirkovic (8.6 rpg), Zvonimir Ivisic (5.2), Keaton Wagler (5.2), Tomislav Ivisic (4.5), Andrej Stojakovic (4.4), Kylan Boswell (4.3), and Ben Humrichous (4.1).  
• Illinois currently ranks third in the nation in offensive efficiency by kenpom (126.8). Offensive coordinator Tyler Underwood has helped Brad Underwood implement a top-15 offense for the third straight season after ranking third in 2024 (125.5) and 14th last year (121.9).
• Illinois ranks second in the NCAA in free throw percentage at 79.8%. Last year the Illini shot 76.2% at the free throw line, which was the second-best season mark in school history.
• Illinois is averaging 86.0 points, ranked third in the Big Ten. The Illini led the B1G in scoring last season (83.6 ppg). 
• The Illini feature the No. 3-rated offense in the country (126.8) and No. 16 defense (96.7) by kenpom.
• Illinois ranks first in the nation in defensive free throw rate (19.4) and fourth in fewest fouls per game (13.3).
• Illinois is averaging 15.3 second chance points per game (244), which leads the Big Ten.
• Illinois has made 10+ 3-pointers in 11 games this season, which leads the Big Ten. 
• Illinois is 10-1 when making double-digit threes (lone loss to Alabama).
• Illinois is No. 10 in the latest NCAA NET rankings, third-best in the Big Ten behind Michigan (1) and Purdue (6). Illinois is 6-3 on the season combined in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, and 7-0 combined in Quad 3 and Quad 4 matchups. Wednesday’s game at Northwestern is the team’s third Quad 2 opportunity of the season based on the NET (through games played Jan. 12). 
• Illinois’ total of four Quad 1 wins is tied for seventh-most in the NCAA (through games played Jan. 12). 
• Illinois is No. 7 in the kenpom rankings with an adjusted efficiency margin +30.14. The Illini have had a kenpom rating of 35th or better each of the last six years under Brad Underwood with a high of No. 4 in 2020-21. Illinois posted consecutive top-20 rankings the last two seasons: 10th in 2023-24 and 17th in 2024-25.
• At its current scoring pace, this year’s Illini would become just the sixth team in program history to average at least 86.0 points for a full season. The Illini opened the 2025-26 campaign with seven straight games of 80+ points. It marked the most such games to open a campaign since the 1988-89 Flyin’ Illini scored 80+ in each of their first 12 contests.   
• Brad Underwood has led Illinois to 30 wins over top-25 opponents since 2019-20, with 21 of those wins coming in ranked-vs.-ranked matchups. Illinois’ 30 top-25 victories are tied for ninth-most in the NCAA during that span. This season the Illini have ranked wins over No. 11 Texas Tech at home, vs. No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville, and at No. 19 Iowa.   
• Illinois is currently 3-3 this season vs. Top 25 teams. With five ranked Big Ten teams in the most recent AP poll, the Illini’s current schedule could feature as many as 10 ranked games during the regular season. 
• Illinois entered 2025-26 as the winningest team in Big Ten Conference play since 2019-20, with 81 league wins (tied with Purdue). The Illini (85 wins) now sit one game behind the Boilermakers (86) in the win column over the last seven seasons. The Illini lead the conference with 37 road wins in league play during that span. When including the conference tournament, Illinois is also one game behind Purdue for the most total wins against Big Ten opponents over this span with 92.
• As a team, Illinois ranks in the top three in the Big Ten, and among the top programs nationally in nine categories: The team leads the Big Ten with a .798 free-throw percentage (second in the NCAA) and 13.3 fouls per game (fourth), and is second in the league with a +11.3 rebound margin (seventh in NCAA), 29.3 defensive rebounds per game (11th), and a +18.6 scoring margin (15th). The Illini are third in the B1G with 42.3 total rebounds per game (14th in the NCAA), 5.4 blocks per game (16th), 29.4 3-point attempts per game (25th), and a scoring offense of 86.0 points per game (38th). 
• Among players with at least 20% possessions used, Keaton Wagler ranks ninth nationally in offensive rating at 136.7 (#2 nationally among freshmen), while backcourt running mate Kylan Boswell ranks 28th at 131.6 (kenpom).
• Illinois has claimed five of nine Big Ten Freshman of the Week selections this season. Keaton Wagler has earned a league-leading three honors, while David Mirkovic has garnered two nods. 
• Freshman G Keaton Wagler is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week, his second straight and league-best third honor of the season. Wagler led the Illini to two wins last week, averaging a team-high 18 points with six rebounds and 3.5 assists. He recorded a game-high 17 points with seven rebounds and three assists in a home win over Rutgers, then led all scorers with 19 points and added five rebounds and four assists in the Illini’s Quad 1 win at No. 19 Iowa. For the week, Wagler shot 47.6% from the field, including 45.5% from 3-point range, and 84.6% from the free throw line. He extended his double-figures scoring streak to eight straight games, which includes all five games in Big Ten play
• Freshman G Keaton Wagler leads the Illini and ranks among the Big Ten leaders with: 74 free-throws made (6th), 89 free-throw attempts (10th), 251 total points (12th), a 2.60 assist-to-turnover ratio (13th), 60 total assists (13th), an .831 free-throw percentage (13th), 15.7 points per game (14th), 3.8 assists per game (14th), 33 3-pointers made (15th), and 2.06 3-pointers per game (16th). 
• Freshman F David Mirkovic, is one of only three freshmen in the nation, along with Duke’s Cameron Boozer,  and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson averaging at least 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists (through Jan. 11). 
• A two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Mirkovic leads the Illini, ranks inside the top 10 in the Big Ten, and is among the NCAA leaders with: 5.9 defensive rebounds per game (sixth, 46th); five double-doubles (fifth in B1G, 47th in NCAA); 8.3 total rebounds per game (sixth, 50th); 137 total rebounds (fifth, 53rd); and 2.6 offensive rebounds per game (eighth, 127th); and is third on the team behind Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell and with an 81.5% free-throw percentage (17th in the Big Ten). 
• Senior G Kylan Boswell is the Illini’s active career leader with 1,173 career points (665 at Illinois), with eight 20+ point games and 35 career double-digit scoring games in Orange and Blue. Boswell leads the team with five games this season with 20+ points this season, and has eclipsed the 20-point mark eight times over the last two years.
• Junior G Andrej Stojakovic transferred to Illinois with a reputation as a prolific scorer and is averaging 14.5 points on 52.1% shooting. Stojakovic has four 20-point performances, highlighted by a season-high 26 points vs. No. 11 Alabama. Stojakovic also posted 23 points the win over No. 11 Texas Tech, and scored 20 and 24, respectively, in Illinois’ wins over LIU and UTRGV. In his Big Ten debut, Stojakovic had 17 points and four rebounds in the win at Ohio State, then posted an 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Illini’s B1G home opener vs. No. 23 Nebraska. Stojakovic has led the Illini in scoring in four games this season. 
• Twin 7-footers Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic rank among the top shooting big men in college basketball. Zvonimir is tied for the NCAA lead among 7-footers with seven games this season with multiple 3-pointers, while Tomislav ranks fourth at five contests with multiple treys. Tomislav is second in the NCAA among 7-footers with 1.4 3-pointers per game, while Zvonimir ranks tied for fifth at 1.2 triples per contest.
• Zvonimir Ivisic ranks fifth nationally in block rate at 14.2%. He leads the Big Ten and ranks 16th nationally in total blocks (38) and ranks third in the Big Ten (18th nationally) at 2.38 blocks per game. His current average would rank second all-time in Illinois’ record book behind Derek Holcomb, who averaged 3.0 blocks per game in 1978-79. The last Illini to average more than 2.0 blocks per game was Nnanna Egwu (2.1) in 2013-14.

ILLINOIS VS. NORTHWESTERN

• This is the 191st meeting in the all-time series between Illinois and Northwestern, the fifth-most for the Illini vs. any opponent in program history. 
• The first game, an 18-13 Illinois win, took place on March 7, 1908 in Evanston and sparked six straight Illini wins to begin the series. 
• The Illini are 145-45 all-time vs. Northwestern, including a 65-31 advantage in road contests in the series. 
• Head coach Brad Underwood has led the Illini to an 11-5 record vs. NU, which included a run of eight straight wins from March 3, 2019 through Feb. 13, 2022. Underwood is 3-4 in Evanston with the Wildcats winners of three straight, including the last two in overtime.
• The Illini’s last win at Welsh-Ryan Arena came on Jan. 29, 2022, when Kofi Cockburn posted 22 points and nine rebounds and Da’Monte Williams broke a 53-all tie late with a putback dunk left to record the game’s final basket in a 59-56 triumph. 
• Illinois is 55-7 (.887) all-time as a ranked team when facing Northwestern.

ILLINI IN THE NET

• Illinois is No. 10 in the NCAA NET ranking though games played Jan. 12. 
• The Illini’s No. 10 rating is the third-best mark in the Big Ten Conference behind Michigan (1) and Purdue (6). 
• The Illini are currently 4-3 vs. Quad 1, 2-0 vs. Quad 2, 0-0 vs. Quad 3, and 7-0 vs. Quad 4.
• Illinois four Quad 1 wins rank tied for seventh nationally. 
• The Illini’s remaining 14-game regular-season schedule breaks down to 10 games vs. Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents, with four Quad 3 and just one Quad 4 matchup remaining.  
  Quad 1 (6): at Purdue (6), at Nebraska (11), at Michigan State (14), at USC (46), at UCLA (45), and vs. Michigan (1).  
  Quad 2 (4): at Northwestern (77), vs. Washington (57), vs. Wisconsin (40), and vs. Indiana (34). 
  Quad 3 (4): vs. Minnesota (83), vs. Northwestern (77), vs. Oregon (102), and at Maryland (165). 
  Quad 4 (1): vs. Maryland (165).

ILLINOIS WHEN RANKED

• Sunday’s win at #19 Iowa marked the 16th game of the season ranked in the Top 25 for the #16 Fighting Illini. 
• Illinois is 665-270 (.711) all-time when ranked in the AP Top 25. The program is 363-54 (.871) at home, including a 285-41 (.874) mark at State Farm Center, 163-150 (.521) on the road, and 139-64 (.685) at neutral sites. 
• Under head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois is 103-46 (.691) when ranked.