Minnesota at Illinois odds, picks and predictions
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (17-10, 8-8 Big Ten) head to State Farm Center to face the No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini (20-7, 11-5) Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Maryland vs. lllinois odds as we make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Minnesota lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 73-55 Sunday. It failed to cover the spread as a 7-point underdog, and the Under (147) hit. The Golden Gophers struggled to shoot, hitting just 31 percent of their shots and 26 percent from deep. Their leading scorer was F Cam Christie with 14 points, followed by 10 from F Dawson Garcia. Minnesota has dropped their last 3 Big Ten road games.
Illinois, which is No. 16 in the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll, won a 95-85 shootout against the Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday. It covered the spread as a 9.5-point favorite, and went over the 165.5 total. The Fighting Illini hit 10 three-pointers and outscored the Hawkeyes 38-30 in the paint. F Coleman Hawkins had a phenomenal effort, scoring a game-high 30 points, dishing out 5 assists, swiping the ball 5 times and grabbing 2 rebounds. Illinois is averaging 91.5 points per game (PPG) over its last 4.
The Fighting Illini have won the last 6 meetings against Minnesota, including a 78-69 decision Feb. 20, 2023. The Golden Gophers covered the spread as 13.5-point underdogs, and the Over (135.5) hit.
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Minnesota 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 8:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Minnesota +490 (bet $100 to win $490) | Illinois -710 (bet $710 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Illinois +11.5 (-115) | Illinois -11.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 155.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Minnesota at Illinois picks and predictions
Prediction
Illinois 92, Minnesota 81
Moneyline
PASS.
It's hard not to be extremely confident that the Fighting Illini (-710) will handle Minnesota at home Wednesday night. I'm just not going to put 7 units down to win 1 back, and neither should you.
Against the spread
BET MINNESOTA +11.5 (-115).
The Golden Gophers will not be pushovers in this game. Yes, I know they were beat up pretty good on the road by Nebraska in their last outing, but Minnesota covered the spread in its 9 games prior, including a road trip to No. 3 Purdue.
Obviously, Illinois is the better team, but it hasn't consistently covered the spread. It is 5-5 against the number in its last 10.
Minnesota also covered in the last head-to-head matchup as well.
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Over/Under
BET OVER 155.5 (-115).
It's really hard to ignore the trends toward the Over in this one. These teams have gone over the posted total in 4 of their last 5 meetings.
The Over has hit in 9 the Fighting Illini's last 10 games and 7 of Minnesota's last 10.
The Fighting Illini and Golden Gophers combine to average 159 PPG on the season. This game has all the makings of a shootout.
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