Chicago College Matchups

December 10, 2020

The GIST: There’s lots of young Illinois talent to cheer for in the NCAA this weekend, with a Northwestern vs. Illinois football matchup and two top-25-ranked basketball teams on the schedule.

SOURCE: JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES

🏈Rivalry week: On Saturday, Northwestern will close out the regular season against the Fighting Illini in a classic Chicagoland rivalry. The Wildcats are hoping to build some momentum before facing the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship. Meanwhile, the Illini are looking to end their season on a high note after they blew a 14-point lead over the Iowa Hawkeyes last week. Both teams want bragging rights.

This matchup is the teams’ 114th meeting, and a Wildcat dub would mark Northwestern’s longest win streak in the rivalry. Choose your character!

🏀Big ballers: On the court, the No. 6 Illinois men’s basketball team bounced back from their loss against the No. 2 Baylor Bears last week by handedly beating the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday. The win was a confidence-builder for Illini fans as the team enters a string of games against unranked opponents.

Switching it over to Northwestern, their No. 17-ranked women’s team is poised to defend their Big Ten conference title. The ’Cats finally kick off their season against the Eastern Illinois Panthers tonight at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.