Northwestern at Illinois odds, picks and predictions
The No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) welcome the Northwestern Wildcats (10-2, 1-0) to the State Farm Center Tuesday. Tip is set for 9 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the Northwestern vs. Illinois odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Illinois is No. 9 in the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll. It beat the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights 104-71 Friday, covering as 25.5-point favorites. The Fighting Illini are 7-4-1 against the spread (ATS) this season and have covered 7 of their last 8. Illinois is 4-0 ATS at home.
Northwestern beat the Jackson State Tigers 74-63 Friday, failing to cover as 17.5-point favorites. It is 1-2-1 ATS over its last 4 games and 5-6-1 ATS on the season. The Wildcats premier victory this season was a 92-88 overtime win over the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers, covering as a 5.5-point underdog. They are 2-1-1 in road or neutral-court games this season.
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Northwestern at Illinois odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:24 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Northwestern +184 (bet $100 to win $184) | Illinois -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Northwestern +5.5 (-110) | Illinois -5.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 142.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Northwestern at Illinois picks and predictions
Prediction
Illinois 72, Northwestern 68
Moneyline
PASS.
There's no good value on the moneyline. Ultimately, pass on either play here.
Against the spread
BET NORTHWESTERN +5.5 (-110).
The Wildcats have a few bad losses on the season, but they have competed well against top sides, taking down Purdue. Northwestern also has 4 players averaging double figures, all of which shoot better than 40% from the field.
This will be Illinois first real test without G Terrence Shannon Jr., its leading scorer. Expect it to struggle against a strong defensive team like Northwestern. The Fighting Illini are 0-1 ATS against Power 5 teams at home this season.
Take NORTHWESTERN +5.5 (-110).
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Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 142.5 (-105).
The Fighting Illini are 6-6 O/U this season, and they have gone Over in 4 of their last 5; however, they will be without their leading scorer in this battle. They are 2-2 O/U against Power 5 opponents.
The Wildcats have gone Under in 3 straight games and are 5-7 O/U on the season. They have allowed 63 or fewer points in 3 straight games and have only allowed over 70 twice.
Back UNDER 142.5 (-105).
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