The Illinois Fighting Illini (20-10, 11-8) battle the No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers (25-5, 14-5) Sunday. Tip from Mackey Arena is set for 12:30 p.m. ET (FOX). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Illinois vs. Purdue odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
This will be their lone matchup of the regular season. Purdue has already won the Big Ten and is the only team in the conference with fewer than 8 losses.
Illinois is coming into this game following a 91-87 win over Michigan, failing to cover as a 5-point home favorite. The Fighting Illini have failed to cover 4 in a row and 5 of their last 6. They are 17-13 against the spread (ATS) this season and 13-16 O/U.
Purdue is 12-16-2 ATS and 12-17 O/U. It beat Wisconsin 63-61 on the road Thursday, failing to cover as a 3.5-point favorite. The Boilermakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games and 0-3 ATS in their last 3 road games.
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Illinois at Purdue odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:44 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Illinois +270 (bet $100 to win $270) | Purdue -350 (bet $350 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Illinois +7.5 (-105) | Purdue -7.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 139.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Illinois at Purdue picks and predictions
Prediction
Purdue 74, Illinois 70
Moneyline
PASS.
Illinois has lost 4 in the row on the road. Given that and that Purdue isn’t worth the pricetag, ultimately pass here.
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Against the spread
LEAN ILLINOIS +7.5 (-105).
Neither team has rewarded bettors lately, but Illinois has been better in Big Ten battles than Purdue. The Fighting Illini are just 10-9 ATS in conference games while Purdue is 8-9-2 ATS.
Both teams are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games. Illinois has covered 3 of its last 5 road games though. Purdue is 9-14-2 ATS as the favorite as well.
Considering the trends, back ILLINOIS +7.5 (-105).
Over/Under
BET OVER 139.5 (-110).
Illinois has gone Over in 4 of its last 8 games, and Purdue has gone Over in 6 of its last 10, pushing once in that span as well. The Boilermakers have scored at least 70 points in 2 of their last 3 games as well.
The Fighting Illini also struggle to defend the 3, allowing the 156th-best opponents’ 3-point FG percentage (33.4%). Purdue ranks 89th in the nation in FG percentage (46.1%). That efficiency could create issues and pick up the tempo.
Back the OVER 139.5 (-110).
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