NORTHWESTERN BASKETBALL: GAME DAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	TELEVISION	LIVE STATS
Wednesday, March 13	(11) Illinois	8:00 p.m.	United Center	BTN	StatBroadcast
Radio: ESPN Radio AM-1000 (Dave Eanet and Joey Meyer) Social: Twitter (@NUMensBball) \| Instagram (@numensbball) \| Facebook Notes: Northwestern \| Illinois

EVANSTON, Ill. — Following a hard-fought battle against Purdue on Senior Day, the Wildcats will go on to face Illinois this Wednesday, March 13th in the first round of the 2019 Big Ten Tournament. Tip off is set for 8 p.m.

Illinois enters this matchup with a 7-13 conference record, coming off a two-game losing streak with setbacks to Indiana and Penn State.

Chicago's Big Ten Team holds a 1-1 record against Illinois this season, and has emerged with five wins out of its last 10 appearances against the Fighting Illini.

In their most recent win over Illinois, the 'Cats put up 68 points over the Fighting Illini's 66, coming back from a six-point deficit at the end of the first half.

Senior forward Vic Law finished with a double-double, racking up 13 points and 10 rebounds. Redshirt junior A.J. Turner contributed four assists and 12 points, including a second-chance three-pointer with 11 seconds left to win the game for the Wildcats.

STORYLINES TO WATCH

BLOCKED: Northwestern has secured an average of 4.23 blocks per game this season, the 5th best mark in the Big Ten, while pponents have only been able to average 3.3 blocks per game against the 'Cats. Illinois has am average of 2.58 blocks per game this season, and opponents score an average of 75.2 points per game against the Fighting Illini.

PARDON THE INTERRUPTION: Senior center Dererk Pardon has averaged 7.8 rebounds this season, and has a career total of 780 rebounds. Including Northwestern's 68-50 win over Ohio State last week, Pardon has earned double-digit boards in nine games this season, and has the 7th highest rebound-per-game average in the Big Ten Conference.

UNITED CENTER HISTORY: The 2019 Big Ten Tournament will be held at the United Center Wednesday, March 13th through Sunday, March 17th. The last time the 'Cats played at this venue was in December of 2016, in a 67-64 win over Dayton.

QUOTABLES

"[The seniors] are a bunch of guys who believed when there wasn't a lot to believe in with our program. When you look back, people told me before I got here you could never win with this program. They told me you could never win double figures in the Big Ten, you can never get to the finals in the Big Ten Tournament, you can never get to the NCAA Tournament or win in the NCAA tournament. All those things were told to those kids and all those things were told to me before I got here, and they accomplished all of them in their career. It was a vision and a belief they had in me and in the program, so to see those guys get rewarded and honored today, they will always be very special to me…. We all want to win and lose, and we win and die with every game but it's about the character of the guys and the men they have become. That's a good group of seniors right there. I am really proud of those guys."

-- Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins on the graduating class.

"Personally, I feel like the emotions of senior night kind of got to me. I feel like that happens. But I continued to battle with my teammates, and I wanted us to fight to the finish and I think that's what we did."

-- Senior captain Dererk Pardon his performance against Purdue.

"It meant a lot [to start the game], especially knowing the other guys in my class wanted me out there with them. It was really a surreal moment and not something I was expecting. To be out there was really special and something I will never forget."

-- Junior forward Charlie Hall on starting on Senior Night.

"Seeing the journey I've had over the past four years has been really amazing to me. I never thought I would be here, so just for me to go through these experiences with my teammates, I wouldn't give it up for the world. I want to say thank you to Northwestern and Coach Collins and everybody who gave me a chance to come here and prove what I can do."

-- Senior Dererk Pardon on his career at Northwestern.

••••••

Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund.

Northwestern Set to Battle Illinois in Big Ten Tournament Opener

••••••

Players Mentioned

Charlie Hall

Vic Law

Dererk Pardon

A.J. Turner

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern Set to Battle Illinois in Big Ten Tournament Opener

••••••

Related News

Players Mentioned

Charlie Hall

Vic Law

Dererk Pardon

A.J. Turner

Related Videos