In Wednesday college hoops action, the Eastern Illinois Panthers and Wisconsin Badgers tip off their season at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., at 10 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Eastern Illinois-Wisconsin college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Eastern Illinois at Wisconsin: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:45 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Eastern Illinois +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200) | Wisconsin -3334 (bet $3,334 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Eastern Illinois +20.5 (-110) | Wisconsin -20.59 (-110)
- Over/Under: 134.5 (O: -115 | U: -106)
Eastern Illinois at Wisconsin: Three things to know
- Eastern Illinois checked in just above .500 in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) at 16-14 last season, including a stellar 11-3 mark on its home floor. The Panthers struggled away from home, victorious in just five of 16 trips. They also ended up just 12-16 ATS, with the Over going 16-12. The Panthers have their top seven scorers back from last season’s squad.
- Wisconsin ended up in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten standings at 14-6 and won 21 of 31 games overall. The Badgers picked up 15 wins in 17 games at Kohl Center, while going 15-13-3 ATS and splitting the O/U 15-15-1. These teams met last season in the season opener, with Wisconsin pushing past EIU by a 65-52 score in the first-ever meeting.
- EIU was not good on either side of the 3-point line. Offensively, the Panthers hit just 34.3% from behind the arc, 123rd in the nation, and defensively they were 285th while allowing 34.9 percent on treys.
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Eastern Illinois at Wisconsin: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Wisconsin 77, Eastern Illinois 54
Money line (ML)
Wisconsin (-3334) has plenty of experience back from last season’s 21-win team. The Badgers likely feel like they have some unfinished business after last season’s NCAA touranament was wiped out, not that this season has any more certainty. Still, you can’t back a team laying more than 33 times your potential return. AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
WISCONSIN -20.5 (-110) has plenty of beef, and that will be the biggest difference in this one. Down low the Badgers figure to be much more physical than the smallish Panthers, who have just one player standing taller than 6-foot-9. Eastern Illinois was also horrific from the charity stripe last season, and, as mentioned, abysmal at hitting threes and defending them. That’s a rough combination.
Over/Under (O/U)
The lean is to the UNDER 134.5 (-106), based mostly on the fact EIU should struggle to score points. Wisconsin isn’t exactly known for its up-tempo style, but the Badgers have always been a little more deliberate. As such, it’s hard to see an Over result, especially early in the season.
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