Basketball Game Preview: Illini Bluffs Tigers vs. Monmouth United Red Storm

vs

Previous 5 Games

12/10/22 - Away	27-12 W
12/11/21 - Neutral	44-18 W
12/12/17 - Neutral	58-17 W
12/13/16 - Neutral	56-27 W
12/11/15 - Neutral	65-41 W

Illini Bluffs has gone 5-0 against Monmouth United recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The two teams will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Illini Bluffs comes in on six and Monmouth United on 11.

If Illini Bluffs beats Monmouth United with 62 points on Thursday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. Illini Bluffs breezed by Biggsville West Central to the tune of 62-21 on Tuesday. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 27 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Monmouth United hadn't done well against Elmwood recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Monmouth United sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 43-41 victory over Elmwood.

Monmouth United pushed their record up to 12-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.1 points per game. As for Illini Bluffs, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a massive bump to their 8-5 record this season.

Illini Bluffs strolled past Monmouth United in their previous meeting back in December of 2022 by a score of 27-12. Will Illini Bluffs repeat their success, or does Monmouth United have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.