#14 Illinois vs. UT Rio Grande Valley: Live stream info, game preview, picks and predictions & more

The No. 14 Illinois Fighting Illini haven’t gotten off to the start they would like, but they will go for their second consecutive win when they host the UT Rio Grande Valley Longhorns on Friday night.

Illinois lost consecutive games to the Marquette Golden Eagles and Cincinnati Bearcats before beating the Kansas State Wildcats earlier this week to improve to 3-2 on the season. Kofi Cockburn has come out strong after his three-game suspension to start the year. Trent Frazier was injured in the last game, and it remains to be seen how long he will be out.

UT Rio Grande Valley has gotten off to a 4-2 start this season and hasn’t beaten a ton of quality competition. The Longhorns are barely inside the top 300 of the latest KenPom ratings, and they are led by Justin Johnson, who leads the team with 17.5 points in addition to 6.8 rebounds.

How to watch Illinois vs. UT Rio Grande Valley

When: Friday, November 26th, 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
TV: B1G+
Where to live stream online: Fox Sports App
Live updates and stats: At DraftKings Sportsbook

Odds

Spread: Illinois -27.5
Total: 146

The Pick

Over 146

UTRGV is pretty bad, but they aren’t afraid to push the pace at 72 possessions per game. With Illinois destined to drop out of the Top 25 on Monday, the Illini will want to start building momentum and confidence for the rest of their season. And that means playing the starters a bit longer today.

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