Illinois faces a tough test on Saturday as they head out west to face Gonzaga. 

Illinois has faced a touch schedule so far this season but they have done extremely well with wins over Maryland and North Carolina. Their only loss has been against Texas and that game went into overtime.

The team has done a great job on defense, holding opponents to under 40% from the floor and 27.7% from behind the arc. Offensively the Illini haven't been great, but have been balanced. Six players are putting up more than nine points per game.

Gonzaga on the other hand, is not a defensive team. But they do execute very efficiently on the offensive end of the floor. They are shooting more than 41% from behind the arc and 53.2% overall. The Zags are also a very good rebounding team who is grabbing eight more rebounds per game than their opponents.

The Zags have had a couple of tough losses to quality opponents in San Diego State and Kansas State. Gonzaga did beat Marquette by three on a neutral court, but they need this win over Illinois.

The college basketball odds show that Gonzaga is getting 2.5 points against Illinois. If you want a better chance of winning on Saturday get signed up for the NCAA basketball picks offered by our experts.

Read more Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball news on BleacherReport.com

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