The second Big Ten Conference Semifinal game will feature two teams that are securely in the NCAA Tournament. The 3^rd-seed Nebraska Cornhuskers will face the 2^nd-seed Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday afternoon. The game will tip off at 3:30 PM ET in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Target Center and will air on CBS.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers had a dominating performance in their Big Ten Quarterfinal matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers. They won by a score of 93-66, which was also their seventh win in their last eight games and their third consecutive win in a row. 

The Cornhuskers have come on strong as of late, winning by double digits in seven of their last eight games and have won by an average margin of 17.86 points per game in their last seven wins, including a 27-point victory in the Big Ten Conference Quarterfinals on Friday with their lone loss in their previous eight games coming on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes by a score of 69-78. Nebraska has been one of the better teams defensively in their last eight games, as they allow an average of 62.88 points per game. 

The Cornhuskers lost overtime on the road in their only other meeting against the Fighting Illini this season by a score of 84-87. However, Nebraska covered the spread as a 10-point road underdog. The Nebraska Cornhuskers will look to advance to the Big Ten Championship game for the first time since joining the conference when they face the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Illinois Fighting Illini will face the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday afternoon, looking to advance to their second Big Ten Conference Tournament Championship game in the last four seasons. 

Illinois is one of the highest-scoring teams nationally this season as they rank 12^th in college basketball in scoring with an average of 83.94 points per game and finished 2^nd in the Big Ten with a conference record of 14-6 while winning five of their last six games and are on a two-game winning streak, however, the Fighting Illini avoided a scare in their Big Ten Quarterfinal matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday with a 77-74 win and trailed 71-74 with 1:44 left to go in the game before scoring the finals six points in the game and holding the Buckeyes without a point in the final 1:43 in the game. 

Illinois won the only other matchup this season against the Nebraska Cornhuskers but needed overtime to get the win at home by a score of 87-84. Illinois will look to advance to the Big Ten Conference Tournament Championship game with a win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their Semifinal matchup on Saturday afternoon.

BookMaker lists the Illinois Fighting Illini as 4-point favorites against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big Ten Conference Tournament Semifinals on Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Illini won the only other meeting this season in overtime by a score of 87-84 at home. However, the Cornhuskers covered the spread as a 10-point road underdog in the contest.

Both teams are two of the top teams in the Big Ten Conference this season, and although the Fighting Illini got the win in the only other meeting this season, they needed overtime to pull out the win at home by a score of 87-84. The Cornhuskers have been on a tear recently, winning seven of their last eight games and winning their games by an average margin of 17.86 points per game. Nebraska looked dominant in the quarterfinal matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers, while Illinois narrowly escaped the Ohio State Buckeyes in their matchup, scoring a 77-74 win. As a result, I am taking the points with the Nebraska Cornhuskers when they face the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Big Ten Conference Semifinals on Saturday.