Sturdy's Rewind: Northwestern

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

January 15, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Winning in the Big Ten is hard. Winning on the road is even harder. The Illini got the 79-68 win over Northwestern on Wednesday night, but it wasn't easy. Illinois trailed in the in the first half before a late first half run gave them control. Their lead would balloon to 15 points before a suspicious hook and hold call and a technical foul turned that 15-point lead into a five-point lead. But Illini wunderkind Keaton Wagler . . .

 

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