The 18th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini hit the road looking to emerge from a recent funk with a Thursday night Big Ten matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Analyzing Thursday’s Illinois at Nebraska odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

The Big Ten men’s basketball season continues tonight with three games including Illinois (14-6, 6-4) in Lincoln to take on Nebraska (12-8, 2-7). Nebraska is 8-2 at home this season, but the Cornhuskers have lost six straight overall.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood is high on his 18th-ranked team. "We can be a dominant team if we keep growing and finding ways," Underwood said Sunday after an 83-74 Big

Nebraska is a desperate team, and the only path out of the box it’s trapped in is to win several games in a row, beginning when it hosts No. 18

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Nebraska will try to stop its six-game slide when the Cornhuskers take on No. 18 Illinois. Thursday's matchup is the first of the season for the two squads.

The Big Ten men’s basketball season continues tonight with three games including Illinois (14-6, 6-4) in Lincoln to take on Nebraska (12-8, 2-7).

Scott Richey covers college basketball for The News-Gazette. His email is [email protected], and you can follow him on Twitter ( @srrichey ).

After getting back on track over the weekend, No. 18 Illinois (14-6, 6-4) travels to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a midweek Big Ten battle. The Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-8, 2-7) have struggled to start the new year and pose as a must-win game for Illinois in the second half of the season.

No. 18 Illinois travels to Lincoln, NE on Thursday night when the Fighting Illini takes on unranked Nebraska at 8:30 p.m. ET. Will the Illini cover as a 4-point road favorite? Or will the Cornhuskers keep pace with their Big Ten rivals?