Ever since the great Lindsey Willhite left the journalism game to become PR Director of the Chicago Wolves, I’ve been the only individual who covers Northwestern and Illini basketball regularly. That’s obviously not a very glamorous position to be in, and it’s not exactly the most exciting thing in my life either. (It wouldn’t be the most exciting in any human being’s life for that matter)
However, it does make me qualified to size up the match-up coming Saturday night; the team’s only scheduled meeting this season.
Both teams are quite bad, but this is still a huge game for both sides. Illini basketball fans know quite well the issues Illinois has winning at Welsh-Ryan Arena; even in good years. Northwestern is arguably the state’s best college hoops team. I’m probably not joking about that either. I’ve detailed the horrific depths that this state’s college basketball now finds itself in. You can make a case for SIU as Southern Illinois is 18-7. However, they have a DREADFUL resume.
The Salukis have a RPI of 128, 241st Strength of Schedule. SIU’s best win is Kent State RPI 97, and they have three hideous losses that they just can’t offset: SIU-Edwardsville RPI 313, Loyola Chicago 236 and Texas-El Paso 242.
For Northwestern basketball fans though, the Super Bowl comes Saturday night in Evanston. As we chronicled before, you know how much NU fans HATE Illini basketball.
Quite often Illini basketball Twitter this season has been crickets chirping during games. When there’s been more life, it’s usually Northwestern basketball fans Tweeting their schadenfreude. Well, that’s stopped lately as reality set in for the Wildcats and that 13-1 start is now ancient history. Credit Illini fans though; I didn’t seeing them chirping on Twitter while NU was being obliterated by MSU, Indiana, Iowa etc.
So how much better is Northwestern, really? Let’s break down the numbers.
Records: Illini 11-13, 3-8. Northwestern 16-9, 4-8
Edge- Northwestern basketball
Rankings/statistical measures:
RPI– Wildcats 106, Illini basketball 140
SoS- NU 125, Illini basketball 56
Sagarin– NU 73, Illini 112
Ken Pom– Northwestern 87, UI 131
Edge- Northwestern
Sadly, there is no Land of Lincoln hat on the line here. But this game could still be quite LOL!
This game won’t be Rutgers-Minnesota LOL, but it won’t exactly be a clash of the titans either. Neither team has even legitimate NIT prospects at this point. NU has an overall record of a NIT entry, but their resume needs serious work to actually reach that kind of profile. If the Wildcats can finally get a RPI top 50 win or two, and/or finish 8-10 in conference play, then you can maybe talk NIT in Evanston.
Best wins
Illini basketball- Purdue RPI 21, Yale RPI 60
Northwestern- Wisconsin RPI 66
Edge- Illinois
Worst losses:
Illini- Nebraska RPI 159, North Florida RPI 142
NU- Penn State, RPI 102
Edge- NU
Vs common opponents:
Both teams have been massively slaughtered by the league’s big five (Iowa, Michigan State, Indiana, Maryland, Purdue), but Illinois did upset the Boilermakers. That’s essentially negated by the way NU destroyed pathetic laughingstocks UIC and Chicago State while Illinois barley escaped against both. There isn’t much difference in the records against the league’s mediocre-to-solid teams (Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State) either. Both sides are 2-0 against the laughably pathetic Big Ten in Name Only This Season teams (Rutgers, Minnesota) this year.
When you add it all up, it’s essentially a push.
Edge- Draw
Alpha Dog:
Illini basketball- Malcolm Hill
Northwestern- Alex Olah was the team’s best player at the start of the season, Tre Demps is marketed/presented as the team’s main star (sort of), but things have changed and the true top gun on this team is Bryant McIntosh now. Hill is the only guy I’ve mentioned here with gaudy stats and NBA Draft stock.
Edge- Illinois
Overall Edge- Northwestern takes 3-2-1 over 2015-16 Illini basketball. So yes, Northwestern is noticeably better this season, but they’re not THAT much better really. Illinois can prove that statement wrong 72 hours from now.
Real Time RPI projects a 78-66 win for Northwestern.
The Sports Bank predicts NU takes it 83-79.
Now, hopefully someone out there links this on an Illini basketball message board, where board posters have called me, during this season alone, “Northwestern sympathizer,” “Northwestern fan,” and “Hostile Northwestern media member.” (Even though I’m an Illinois alum).
I’ve also been called, among other things: “special needs,” “retard,” “moron,” “hack,” “dumb ass,” and “idiot.”
Well, keep calling me whatever the hell you want Illini basketball fans, just as long as you keep clicking and linking here when you do.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition and Bold.
He also appears regularly on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram