Illinois will be looking to bounce back from a devastating loss on Wednesday night when they face the Iowa Hawkeyes. It is time to continue our men's college basketball odds series with an Iowa-Illinois prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Iowa has stayed at .500 over their last ten games, but they are entering this matchup with a two-game winning streak. The Hawkeyes turned some heads when they beat the Michigan State Spartans as 9.5-point underdogs on Tuesday night. If Iowa's defense can continue allowing less than 75 points per game, they will help their offense to make a run up the conference standings.
Illinois led by 14 points in the second half and ten with 2:30 to play on Wednesday. They possessed the ball in the final minute with a seven-point lead. However, coach Brad Underwood's team couldn't secure the victory. Illinois' defense let them down, allowing their opponents to shoot 55% from the floor. Illinois' defensive struggles are a concern, considering they allowed Penn State to score 90 points. The Nittany Lions are one of the worst offensive teams in the Big Ten.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Iowa-Illinois Odds
Iowa: +9.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +330
Illinois: -9.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -430
Over: 172.5 (-115)
Under: 172.5 (-105)
How to Watch Iowa vs. Illinois
Time: 2:15 PM ET/11:15 AM PT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Iowa Will Cover The Spread/Win
Iowa's offense consistently keeps their team in games night in and night out. However, their defense keeps finding ways to lose games. A team with Iowa's makeup should cover more games than they are, but oddsmakers continue to make them the favorites. A perfect spot for Iowa is when they are a big underdog, as we saw on Tuesday when they lost by seven as 9.5-point underdogs to Michigan State.
The Hawkeyes 15th-ranked offense will always give them a chance to cover games. They average 83.4 points per game and have the 31st-best field goal percentage in the nation. Illinois brings an average defense to the table and is playing some of their worst basketball, allowing 82 points per game over their last five.
Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win
These two teams haven't faced off yet this season, but the Fighting Illini have dominated the head-to-head lately. Illinois had won five consecutive games dating back to March 8th, 2020, until Iowa took their lone meeting last season.
Illinois' offense should have a field day against an Iowa defense that can't figure it out. The Fighting Illini are 16th in the country, averaging 83.3 points per game. The Iowa defense continues to be one of the worst in college basketball, allowing 78.1 points per game. The Hawkeyes have been able to go .500 over their last ten games due to elite offense, but their chances of outscoring Illinois are slim. This game figures to have a lot of points, as the past six Illinois games have gone over the total.
Final Iowa-Illinois Prediction & Pick
Iowa's offense hasn't dropped off all season. They are averaging 83.4 points per game, which is 0.1 better than Illinois. Illinois has a better record this season due to their defense being much better than the Hawkeyes, but that hasn't been the case recently. The Fighting Illini have allowed 82 points per game over the last five, contributing to six consecutive games going over.
Iowa's offense should score enough to help the streak reach seven games, and the Iowa defense hasn't shown any reason why they will slow down Illinois.
The oddsmakers have also made Iowa 9.5-point underdogs, which is the exact sweet spot for the Hawkeyes we mentioned in their section. Take this game to go over and for Iowa to keep the deficit below 9.5 points.
Click here for more betting news and predictions.
Final Iowa-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Over 172.5 (-115) and Iowa +9.5 (-115)
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