Basketball Game Preview: Illini West Chargers vs. Knoxville Blue Bullets

The Illini West Chargers will face off against the Knoxville Blue Bullets at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.

On Monday, Illini West ended up a good deal behind Macomb and lost 68-49. The Chargers haven't had much luck with the Bombers recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.

Meanwhile, Knoxville suffered their biggest defeat since February 7, 2024 on Saturday. They were dealt a 58-29 loss at the hands of Abingdon/Avon. While losing is never fun, the Blue Bullets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 264th, while the Tornadoes are ranked 55th).

Illini West's defeat dropped their record down to 16-14. As for Knoxville, their loss dropped their record down to 13-12.

Illini West beat Knoxville 46-35 in their previous meeting back in January of 2019. Does Illini West have another victory up their sleeve, or will Knoxville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.