The ninth-seeded Indiana Hoosiers (19-12) will take on the No. 1 seed Illinois Fighting Illini (22-8) Friday in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal. It’s somewhat of a home game for the Hoosiers with tip-off scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Below, we look at the Indiana vs. Illinois odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Despite being down 13 at the half and 17 with just over 11 minutes to go, Indiana, as 3-point underdogs, rallied back and defeated the No. 8 seed Michigan Wolverines Thursday 74-69 in the second round.
The Hoosiers finished 9-11 in conference play and are 17-14 against the spread (ATS) on the season. Illinois tied Wisconsin for the Big Ten regular-season title with identical 15-5 records, but the Illini won the tiebreaker to earn this tourney’s No. 1 seed and a double-bye.
Led by star C Kofi Cockburn’s 21.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, Illinois is 13-17 ATS but just 2-6 ATS over its last 8 games. Illinois’ strength is in its attack, ranking 52nd in the nation in points per game at 76.2.
The Illini are No. 15 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Indiana vs. Illinois odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:27 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Indiana +175 (bet $100 to win $175) | Illinois -220 (bet $220 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Indiana +4.5 (-107) | Illinois -4.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 135.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
[tipico]
Indiana vs. Illinois odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Illinois 74, Indiana 69
Money line
PASS.
Illinois (-220) isn’t a value I would play. The only playable side on the money line is Indiana (+175), but considering Illinois won the two programs’ only matchup of the season 74-57 in Bloomington Feb. 5, I’ll PASS on predicting the upset.
Against the spread
LEAN ILLINOIS -4.5 (-115).
A mentioned, Illinois destroyed Indiana on the road earlier this season, covering as a 2.5-point favorite. While Cockburn poured in 17, it was 6-foot-2 G Trent Frazier who was the star, scoring 23.
The Hoosiers had an impressive comeback Thursday, but they only had two players score more than 9 points and just three players over 5. They’re going to need more diverse scoring to down the top-seeded Illini.
Illinois was 5-6 ATS on the road this season, but Indiana was a Big Ten-worst 3-8 ATS on the road.
While this is technically a neutral environment, even adding neutral-court games in, Illinois is 6-8 ATS and Indiana is 5-8 ATS when not at home.
Over/Under
BET OVER 135.5 (-112).
Both teams have several high-gifted scorers.
Indiana star F Trayce Jackson-Davis’ 17.6 points per game ranks sixth in the Big Ten, while Cockburn’s 21.0 PPG ranks second and G Alfonso Plummer’s 15.1 PPG ranks 12th.
In their first matchup, the Hoosiers led 36-34 at the break but scored just 21 in the second half. The Hoosiers shot 35.7% from the field, well below their season average of 45.8%. Assuming they get to their mean, the Hoosiers should reach at least 65 points here.
Plus, Illinois has been great at hitting the Over this season with a 17-12-1 O/U record. Indiana is 6-2 O/U over its last 8. This is my favorite bet in this matchup.
Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO, NJ and soon IA. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @nathanbeighle_ on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / USC / Wisconsin / College Football News
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]