Bodog Beat

Will you be betting on the Fighting Illini? (AP Images)

After combining for the fewest points in a Division I game in more than three years last month, the Illinois Fighting Illini and Penn State Nittany Lions will both hope for a better offensive showing tonight in a key conference showdown.

Penn State and Illinois are sixth and seventh, respectively, in scoring in the Big Ten, which is well on its way to its seventh consecutive season of being the lowest-scoring major conference in the nation.

A season sweep of the Illini could do wonders for the Nittany Lions’ chances to make the NCAA tourney, and a win combined with another victory Saturday at Iowa could be especially big. If the Nittany Lions win out, they can earn the third seed in next week’s Big Ten tournament.

The Nittany Lions are 10-0 when Talor Battle scores 21 or more and 0-5 when he has 10 or fewer. Seems clear who the Illini need to stop.