The Illinois Fighting Illini (16-5) visit the Iowa Hawkeyes (15-6) Sunday afternoon for a 1 p.m. ET tip-off in a Big Ten tussle at Carver–Hawkeye Arena. We analyze the Illinois-Iowa odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.
Illinois at Iowa: Three things you need to know
1. Illinois heads into Sunday’s road affair having won seven straight games. That run includes road victories at Wisconsin (Jan. 8), Purdue (Jan. 21), and Michigan (Jan. 25). Overall analytics, however, like Iowa at home more than they like Illinois on the road.
2. The Hawkeyes are returning home off a loss at Maryland. That has spelled a pair of 20-point victories on two other such occasions this season. It’s Iowa’s field-goal defense that gets the biggest boost in the environs of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes have held foes under 40% in six of their last eight home games.
3. Iowa C Luka Garza scored 21 points despite being limited to 24 minutes of action due to foul trouble in the first half of the Hawkeyes’ loss to Maryland. But Garza was missed, and his foul status throughout the game against Illinois will be key. The Illini are a middle-of-the-road team when it comes to drawing fouls.
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Illinois at Iowa: Odds, betting lines and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:15 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Iowa 73, Illinois 68
Moneyline (ML)
Its been a wild Big Ten this winter, but this line (Illinois +170/Iowa -209) doesn’t vary enough from expected outcomes. AVOID.
Against the Spread (ATS)
Illinois is 5-2 against the spread on the road. Iowa is 7-2-2 ATS at home.
This game figures as a 3-6-point game in a number of ways you slice it. That spells a PASS.
Over/Under (O/U)
The Under is a combined 25-16 in games these teams have appeared in this season, 6-1 when Illinois is facing a .600 team and 4-0 in Iowa’s last four games following an ATS loss.
Both teams have been a little off in shooting the basketball over their last couple games, and we wouldn’t expect the Illini to impact the score too much in three-by-three fashion (Illinois ranks 323rd in the nation in 3-point rate and 317th in 3-point accuracy). Play the UNDER 146.5 (-110) here, with a sleepy early Sunday game coming in at around 141 for a total.
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