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The Indiana Hoosiers take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Indiana Illinois prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Indiana Illinois.
The Indiana Hoosiers were playing like a Big Ten championship contender early in the season. Trayce Jackson-Davis, IU's elite big man, was thriving. His supporting cast was playing great defense. Everything was going well. Then came an injury to Xavier Johnson, one of the members of that supporting cast. It's not as though Indiana had a fully intact starting five and then simply forgot how to play basketball. The absence of Johnson really hurt this team. Johnson provides so much connectivity for the squad. He knits together the team at both ends of the floor with his hustle, defense, unselfish offense, and an ability to spread the floor and communicate. Johnson has had foot surgery and has been out for an extended period of time. It has mattered quite a lot. The Hoosiers just aren't the same team without him. They won at Xavier early in the season. That win looks extremely good now … but Indiana isn't the same team with Johnson sidelined. The real question about coach Mike Woodson is why he hasn't been able to find other options on his bench. Indiana shouldn't be caught shorthanded, but that seems to be the reality.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Indiana-Illinois College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Indiana-Illinois Odds
Indiana Hoosiers: +6.5 (-110)
Illinois Fighting Illini: -6.5 (-110)
Over: 145.5 (-110)
Under: 145.5 (-110)
How To Watch Indiana vs. Illinois
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports app
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT
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*Watch Indiana-Illinois LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Indiana Could Cover the Spread
This is a team which showed a sense of urgency this past weekend against Wisconsin. The Hoosiers had lost three games in a row. They looked horrible in the process. They knew they had to bounce back with a win to stabilize their NCAA Tournament seeding position and not fall closer to the bubble. The Hoosiers are very likely a tournament team, and they played like it against Wisconsin, shutting down the Badgers and holding them to just 45 points. Indiana rediscovered the level of defense it will need to stay afloat in the Big Ten.
Indiana can cover in this game against Illinois for a number of reasons, but one is that the Hoosiers are getting a generous 6.5 points. Illinois lost at home to Penn State and was neck and neck with Michigan State in a very close game a week ago before finally making a few key plays in the final stages to win. That game was up for grabs late in the second half. If Michigan State can keep it close against Illinois in Champaign, Indiana can certainly do the same.
Why Illinois Could Cover the Spread
The Illini have won four in a row since getting demolished by Northwestern in very early January. Coach Brad Underwood has his bad moments, but when he does have a bad moment, he usually responds the next several games by getting his team to play better. This is why Illinois under his guidance has been very successful. Indiana's win over Wisconsin was certainly good, but Wisconsin is really struggling to score. Indiana is still a team which doesn't have its ideal lineup on the floor. Illinois should be able to take advantage of that.
Final Indiana-Illinois Prediction & Pick
Stay away from this game. Illinois is volatile, and Indiana is desperate. Who knows what will happen? It's not a game in which the outcome seems likely. Don't bet on those games.
Final Indiana-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Indiana +6.5
