Illinois Fighting Illini play in Big Ten Tournament against the Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions (19-12, 10-10 Big Ten) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (20-11, 11-9 Big Ten)

Chicago; Thursday, 6:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Fighting Illini are 11-9 against Big Ten opponents and 9-2 in non-conference play. Illinois scores 74.6 points and has outscored opponents by 8.0 points per game.

The Nittany Lions are 10-10 in Big Ten play. Penn State averages 72.4 points while outscoring opponents by 4.2 points per game.

TOP PERFORMERS: Matthew Mayer averages 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Fighting Illini, scoring 13.0 points while shooting 34.7% from beyond the arc. Terrence Shannon Jr. is averaging 17.1 points over the past 10 games for Illinois.

Jalen Pickett is averaging 18 points, 7.3 rebounds and seven assists for the Nittany Lions. Seth Lundy is averaging 13.8 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 41.3% over the last 10 games for Penn State.

LAST 10 GAMES: Fighting Illini: 5-5, averaging 73.5 points, 34.4 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 6.3 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.7 points per game.

Nittany Lions: 5-5, averaging 69.8 points, 26.9 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 3.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.4 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by and data from .