Iowa-Illinois breakdown

RECORDS

Iowa 21-9, 12-6 Big Ten; Illinois 14-18, 5-13 Big Ten

TV/RADIO

1:50 p.m., BTN (Kevin Kugler, Jon Crispin, Rick Pizzo)

600/800 AM (Gary Dolphin, Bobby Hansen)

LOCATION

Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.

LINE

Iowa by 10.5

SERIES

Illinois leads 82-71 overall; Iowa won 77-65 in Champaign, Ill. teams' only scheduled meeting this year

PROFILE

Iowa is ranked 20th by AP and 18th by USA Today/Coaches; Illinois is unranked

Iowa is seeded fifth in the Big Ten Tournament, while Illinois is 12th

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa F Jarrod Uthoff vs. Illinois G Malcolm Hill. Both players are mismatch nightmares for opponents. Uthoff stands nearly 6-foot-10 and can play inside or outside. He ranked second in Big Ten scoring at 18.8 points per game and led the league in blocked shots. Hill is a streaky shooter who can fill it up from the outside or attack the basket. He averaged 18.6 points per game in the regular season.

KEY STATISTICS

SCORING/OPP: Iowa 78.5/68.7; ILL 72.3/75.3

FG%/OPP FG%: Iowa 45.2/41.3; ILL 42.9/46.0

3PT%/OPP 3PT%: Iowa 38.2/30.6; ILL 35.7/38.2

FT%: Iowa 71.8: ILL 74.7

LIKELY STARTERS

Iowa: G Mike Gesell (6-2; 8.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6.2 apg); G Anthony Clemmons (6-2; 9.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.5 apg); G Peter Jok (6-6; 15.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg); F Jarrod Uthoff (6-9; 18.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg; 2.7 bpg); C Adam Woodbury (7-1; 7.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg)

Illinois: G Malcolm Hill (6-6; 18.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.3 apg); G Kendrick Nunn (6-3; 15.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg); G Jalen Coleman-Lands (6-3; 10.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg); G Khalid Lewis (6-3; 3.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 3.0 apg); C Maverick Morgan (6-10; 7.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg)

KEY RESERVES

Iowa: F Dom Uhl (6-9; 6.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg); F Nicholas Baer (6-7; 4.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg); F Ahmad Wagner (6-5, 2.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg); Christian Williams (6-6; 1.3; 0.8)

Illinois: Jaylon Tate (6-3; 1.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 2.5 apg); G Alex Austin (6-4; 1.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg); G D.J. Williams (6-7; 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg); G Aaron Jordan (6-6; 3.4 ppg; 0.9 rpg); C Michael Finke (6-10; 7.3 ppg; 3.7 rpg)

WORTH WATCHING

Iowa and Illinois have only played once in the Big Ten Tournament. The eighth-seeded Hawkeyes outlasted the ninth-seeded Fighting Illini 64-61 in 2012. It was Iowa's first Big Ten Tournament win since 2006, and it was the last game for Illinois Coach Bruce Weber.

BOTTOM LINE/PREDICTION

Illinois crushed Minnesota 85-52 and hit a Big Ten Tournament record 14 3-pointers (in 26 attempts). The Illini's backcourt of Malcolm Hill, Kendrick Nunn and Jalen Coleman-Lands are capable of scoring from the perimeter or driving it. Michael Finke hit five 3-pointers against the Gophers, which will force Iowa to re-evaluate how to defend the 6-foot-10 backup center.

'(Wednesday) was probably the best we played all season,' Illinois Coach John Groce said.

As good as Illinois played, there still are reasons why the Illini were seeded 12th. Illinois finished eighth in Big Ten 3-point percentage. The Illini were last in defense and 3-point defense.

The teams play similar games, but Iowa is better at most positions. It's hard to envision Illinois with a similar shooting performance against Iowa. But you never know.

Prediction: Iowa 76, Illinois 70

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com