The second-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini (20-6) take on the seventh-seeded Rutgers Scarlet Knights (15-10) Friday in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Below, we analyze the Rutgers-Illinois odds and lines with NCAA men’s basketball picks and predictions.
The Illini are No. 3 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports. They are among four Big Ten teams in the top 10, joined by No. 4 Michigan, No. 6 Iowa and No. 10 Ohio State.
The Rutgers-Illinois winner advances to a Saturday semifinal against the winner of Friday night’s Iowa-Wisconsin tilt.
Rutgers vs. Illinois: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Rutgers +280 (bet $100 to win $280) | Illinois -350 (bet $350 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Rutgers +7.5 (-110) | Illinois -7.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 136.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Rutgers vs. Illinois: Three things to know
- Rutgers beat Illinois 91-88 Dec. 20 in the lone regular-season meeting between the two. The Scarlet Knights, who were 1.5-point home underdogs, were ranked No. 17 at the time, and the Illini were No. 13. Junior G Ron Harper Jr. scored a team-high 28 points for Rutgers, which rallied from an 11-point, first-half deficit, produced an 18-5 run in the second half and held on late for the win.
- Rutgers eliminated Indiana 61-50 Thursday in its Big Ten tourney opener. Trailing 48-47 with 9:48 to go, Rutgers held IU scoreless for six-plus minutes to pull away. Harper Jr. led the Knights with 13 points and 11 rebounds, C Myles Johnson added 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds and senior G Jacob Young also scored 13 points. The game finished well Under the O/U line of 129.5.
- This will be the Illini’s first game in the 2021 Big Ten tourney. They earned a bye as the second seed. Illinois, winners in 11 of its last 12, enters on a four-game win-and-cover streak. Junior G Ayo Dosunmu leads the Illini with 20.9 PPG and 5.2 APG, while sophomore C Kofi Cockburn pulls down a team-high 9.6 RPG. In the December loss to Rutgers, Dosunmu tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Cockburn had 17 points and 12 boards.
Special College Basketball Betting Promotion!
Bet $1 on any college basketball team money line, WIN an additional $100 (in free bets) if ANY team hits a 3-pointer today. Promotion available in CO, IN, MI, NJ, TN, VA and WV. IA and PA residents, don’t miss BetMGM‘s risk-free, first-bet offer!
Place your legal, online sports bets at BetMGM! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!
Rutgers vs. Illinois: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Illinois 76, Rutgers 64
Money line (ML)
PASS. The Illini are well-rested and won’t have a problem knocking off the Scarlet Knights, but the -350 ML price is too chalky.
Play our new free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Against the spread (ATS)
ILLINOIS -7.5 (-110) is the STRONGEST PLAY – 1½ times your usual wager. The Illini’s loss at the Scarlet Knights in December was an anomaly. The Illini are a much better team.
Rutgers – which even with a loss here is expected to earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid since 1991 – will run out of gas in the second half since it played the night before.
ATS: Rutgers 13-11-1 | Illinois 16-9-1
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 136.5 (-115) is the way to go. Illinois averages 80.7 PPG; Rutgers scores 70.0 PPG. Plus, the Over is 6-2-1 in the last nine head-to-head contests.
With this being a tournament game, expect more fouls/free-throw attempts than usual down the stretch.
O/U records: Rutgers 11-13-1 | Illinois 14-11-1
Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
| JOHNNY PARLAY’S RECORD | W-L | SP | ROI |
| College hoops since Jan. 1 | 68-60-1 | 30-33 | +1.775 |
| 2021 record (all sports) | 86-74-1 | 41-36 | +10.1 |
| *–SP: Strongest plays; ROI: Return on investment | |||
Follow @JohnnyParlay11 on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional college sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Auburn / Florida / Georgia / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Tennessee / Texas / USC / Wisconsin
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage. This information is for entertainment purposes only. We make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1667]