The Illinois Fighting Illini (19-9, 10-7 Big Ten) take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (11-17, 3-14) on Sunday. Tip from Value City Arena is scheduled for noon ET (CBS). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Illinois vs. Ohio State odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Illinois beat Northwestern 66-62 on Thursday, but failed to cover as 7.5-point home favorites. It has now won back-to-back games and is 6-4 in its last 10. In that same span, the Fighting Illini are 6-4 against the spread (ATS) to improve to 17-11 ATS on the season.
The Buckeyes fell 75-71 at home to Penn State on Thursday and failed to cover as 3-point home favorites. They have now lost 9 in a row both outright and against the spread, which started Jan. 24 with a 69-60 loss at Illinois as 3.5-point underdogs. Ohio State is just 8-20 ATS this season.
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Illinois at Ohio State odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:39 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Illinois -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Ohio State +165 (bet $100 to win $165)
- Against the spread (ATS): Illinois -4.5 (-110) | Ohio State +4.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 145.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Illinois at Ohio State picks and predictions
Prediction
Illinois 71, Ohio State 63
Moneyline
PASS.
The moneyline odds for Illinois present no value in this matchup.
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Against the spread
BET ILLINOIS -4.5 (-110).
The Fighting Illini are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games including 5-1 in their last 6 road games against a team with a winning home record. They are also 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss and 3-1 ATS in their last 4 road games.
Ohio State is on a major cold streak, dropping its last 9 games ATS including its last 4 home games. It is just 5-9 ATS at home this season. Fade the Buckeyes until they prove they can compete.
Over/Under
As it stands, 145.5 points would be the 3rd highest closing total in Illinois’ last 10 games. In that span, its O/U record is just 3-6-1. The Under is also 5-1 in the Fighting Illini’s last 6 Sunday games and 4-1 in their last 5 games following a ATS loss. Take the UNDER 145.4 (-110).
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