The No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini (9-4, 0-2 Big Ten) meet the Northwestern Wildcats (10-3, 1-1) Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Illinois vs. Northwestern odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Fighting Illini bounced back from a 93-71 shellacking against Missouri in St. Louis on Dec. 22 by posting an 85-52 win against Bethune-Cookman in a tune-up game Thursday. The Under has cashed in 3 of the past 4 games for Illinois.
The Wildcats were hammered by Ohio State on New Year’s Day by a 73-57 score, not even coming close to covering a 2.5-point number as ‘dogs. The loss snapped a 5-game win streak by Northwestern. The Under is 4-1 in the past 5 games overall.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
Illinois at Northwestern odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:05 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Illinois -180 (bet $180 to win $100) | Northwestern +140 (bet $100 to win $140)
- Against the spread (ATS): Illinois -3.5 (-115) | Northwestern +3.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 134.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Catch the excitement and bet with Tipico
Double Down, Ohio! Deposit $200, Get $250. Bet now!
In Colorado and New Jersey, claim your 100% Deposit Match up to $250 now. Bet now! 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions.
Illinois at Northwestern picks and predictions
Prediction
Illinois 68, Northwestern 63
Moneyline
ILLINOIS (-180) is a solid play on the moneyline if you don’t want to mess around with laying the points in a potentially close and low-scoring game, although it is at my personal limit.
The Illini were the much better team last season than the Wildcats, and Illinois did sweep Northwestern, but the margin of victory was just an average of 5.0 points per game. Illinois has won 8 straight meetings in the series dating back to Jan. 6, 2019, too.
Against the spread
ILLINOIS -3.5 (-115) is the lean here, although you can expect a good sweat. Go lightly, and play just a half-unit wager at most.
While the Illini has won 8 in a row in the series, Northwestern has covered 3 in a row in the series. The good news for potential Illini backers is that Illinois is 4-1 ATS in the past 5 trips to Evanston.
Over/Under
UNDER 132.5 (-105) is the lean here, but like the line, go lightly.
The Under is a perfect 7-for-7 in the previous 7 for the Illini against teams with a winning overall record, and it’s 5-2 in their past 7 games overall.
The Under is 13-3 in the past 16 at Welsh-Ryan the Northwestern, while going 4-1 in the past 5 games overall. The Under is 4-0 in the past 4 against teams with a winning record, too.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Want action on this basketball game or any other sports contest? Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, SportsbookWire’s official sportsbook partner in OH, CO and NJ. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fb7dafw2b08817yr player_id=01evcg1x9ny8tb834m image=]
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin / College Football News
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1667]