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The No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini (3-0) and the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1) meet Wednesday at Legacy Arena at BJCC in Birmingham, Ala. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (SEC Network). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s college basketball odds around the Illinois vs. Alabama odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The Fighting Illini have picked up 3 wins with 2 covers, but really, Illinois has yet to be tested. The Illini have victories over the Eastern Illinois Panthers, the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. It won 66-54 against Oakland last time out on Nov. 13, failing to cover as a 23.5-point favorite as the Under (151) cashed for the second straight time.
The Crimson Tide is looking to rebound after an 87-78 loss at the No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers on Friday night as a 4-point favorite, pushing against the total (165) at most shops. The Tide has failed to cover in 3 in a row since a 110-54 win over UNC Asheville on Nov. 4 in the opener. The Under is 3-0-1.
– Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll
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Illinois vs. Alabama odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college basketball odds. Lines last updated at 6:59 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Illinois +300 (bet $100 to win $300) | Alabama -385 (bet $385 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Illinois +8.5 (-110) | Alabama -8.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 167.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Illinois vs. Alabama picks and predictions
Prediction
Alabama 88, Illinois 77
Moneyline
Alabama (-385) will cost you near 4 times your potential return, and that’s way too much risk for not enough reward, especially in a battle between ranked teams.
AVOID.
Against the spread
Play ALABAMA -8.5 (-110) in this neutral-floor battle against Illinois +8.5 (-110).
The Crimson Tide is coming off a bummer of a loss at Purdue, so Alabama will come into this game in Birmingham looking to get back on track with an impressive performance.
Illinois hasn’t played anybody this season, while Alabama has faced a top-tier opponent in hostile territory.
Over/Under
UNDER 167.5 (-105) is worth a look in Birmingham in this battle of ranked teams.
The Under is 3-0-1 in 4 games for Alabama, while the total has gone low in each of the past 2 games for Illinois. We’re going to see a similar amount of points to the Alabama-Purdue game, and it will be a close shave, so go lightly.
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