The Iowa Hawkeyes are set to face the Illinois Fighting Illini. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Iowa Illinois prediction, odds, and pick.
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The Iowa Hawkeyes had a resume one month ago which didn't have a whole lot of meat on the bone. Iowa lost to Iowa State in the nonconference portion of the schedule and fattened up on the lower half of the Big Ten in January. However, over the past month, Iowa has begun to accumulate better wins. It beat Ohio State on the road. It crushed Michigan State at home. It beat Michigan on the road. It has improved as the season has unfolded. Iowa coach Fran McCaffery entered this season without Luka Garza, the spectacular scorer and NBA draft pick who made the Hawkeyes a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. It was not going to be easy to replace Garza's production. Iowa figured to have a bumpy ride this year, and that has been the case. All things considered, guiding Iowa safely into the 2022 NCAA Tournament rates as a solid job by McCaffery, who keeps developing elite scorers who will have a chance to make it in the pros. This year's star is Keegan Murray, who has given Iowa clutch buckets on a consistent basis this season. Keep that in mind when thinking about an Iowa Illinois prediction.
The college basketball odds were stacked against both Iowa and Illinois before the season began. Purdue and Michigan were supposed to be the heavyweight teams in the Big Ten, but Wisconsin won the league title and Illinois has been in the top three all season long. The Iowa Illinois odds are one topic worth considering, but the Big Ten title odds did not include either the Hawkeyes or the Illini in the top tier. Both teams have done well this season, Illinois in particular.
The Illini lost Ayo Dosunmu to the NBA and had to replace his production, much as Iowa had to replace Garza. What helped Illinois was not only the return of big man Kofi Cockburn, but also the acquisition of Utah transfer Alfonso Plummer in the portal. Plummer has been a lights-out perimeter shooter who crucially spaces the floor so that Cockburn can operate in the low post with fewer double-teams against him. Illinois has found a balanced and potent offense, something to note when arriving at your Iowa Illinois pick. Illinois will be viewed on Selection Sunday as a dark-horse team with the offensive firepower needed to make a deep run in the bracket.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Iowa-Illinois odds:
College Basketball Odds: Iowa-Illinois Odds
Iowa: +4 (-110)
Illinois: -4 (-110)
Over: 154.5 (-110)
Under: 154.5 (-110)
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Why Iowa Could Cover the Spread
The Hawkeyes have been playing really well, and Illinois barely beat Penn State at home a few days ago. Iowa can certainly give Illinois a rough time if the Illini are struggling.
Why Illinois Could Cover the Spread
The Illini seem to vary their performance each game. They lost to Ohio State and then crushed Michigan. They just snuck by Penn State, so now they might be ready to play well again versus Iowa. If they do play well, they will cover.
Final Iowa-Illinois Prediction & Pick
Illinois will play well. It's as simple as that. This game will depend on which version of the Illini shows up.
Final Iowa-Illinois Pick: Illinois -4
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