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The Penn State Nittany Lions (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) meet the No. 15 Illinois Fighting Illini (11-3, 3-1) Wednesday. Tip-off at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill., is set for 9 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college basketball odds around the Penn State vs. Illinois odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The Nittany Lions lost 77-71 at home against the Indiana Hoosiers last time out Sunday, and it slipped to 0-4 against the spread (ATS) in the past 4 outings. Penn State is just 2-7 ATS in the previous 9 games, too. The Over has a slight 3-2 edge in the past 5 outings.
For the Fighting Illini, it swept a 2-game road trip to Oregon and Washington, winning 109-77 against the Ducks last Thursday as a 4.5-point underdog as the Over (155.5) cashed. It also topped the Huskies 81-77 Sunday, but failed to cover as a 7-point favorite. The Over is on a 4-0 run.
Penn State has been the kryptonite of Illinois, as the Nittany Lions have won 4 in a row in this series since Dec. 10, 2022, winning each game as an underdog. The Over has cashed in 3 straight meetings, too.
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Penn State at Illinois odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college basketball odds. Lines last updated at 7:09 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Penn State +340 (bet $100 to win $340) | Illinois -450 (bet $450 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Penn State +9.5 (-110) | Illinois -9.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 163.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Penn State at Illinois picks and predictions
Prediction
Illinois 86, Penn State 79
Moneyline
It’s super tempting to play Penn State (+350) for the chance to more than triple up, but it can’t win a fifth straight game outright as an underdog in this series, right?
Illinois (-450) has won 4 in a row since an outright loss to the Tennessee Volunteers Dec. 14, but there is no shame in losing to a ranked opponent. The Fighting Illini are solid across the board, but based on the series trends, it’s hard to trust them, especially laying 4 1/2 times your potential return.
AVOID, and look to the spread instead.
Against the spread
PENN STATE +9.5 (-110) is strong play catching nearly 5 buckets.
The Nittany Lions have won 4 straight in this series as an underdog, while Penn State is 5-0 ATS in the past 5 meetings.
We’re backing the series trends hard here, as the Nittany Lions haven’t been very good against the number lately. They’re 0-4 ATS in the past 4 games, and 2-7 ATS across the previous 9 outings. The Lions are 0-2 ATS as an underdog this season, too, so proceed with caution.
Over/Under
OVER 163.5 (-115) is the lean, but only go with a half-unit play at best.
The Over has cashed in each of the past 3 meetings in this series. The Over also has a 3-2 edge in the past 5 games for Penn State. Be careful, though, as the Under is 2-0 in Penn State’s only 2 true road games to date.
For Illinois, though, the total has ended up going high in 4 straight games, and it has scored 80 or more points in each outing, with 2 games above 109 points.
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