The Iowa Hawkeyes (20-10, 11-8 Big Ten) visit the Illinois Fighting Illini (20-10, 12-7) in a Sunday night (7 p.m. ET) game at the State Farm Center. We analyze the Iowa-Illinois odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.
Iowa at Illinois: Three things you need to know
1. The 18th-ranked (USA Today Sports Coaches Poll) Hawkeyes and 22nd-ranked Fighting Illini are both first-division squads in the 2019-20 Big Ten standings. The game in Champaign is a key one in how conference tournament seeds will be assigned. Iowa — the circuit’s top-scoring team at 77.8 points per game — defeated Illinois, 72-65, on Feb. 2. in Iowa City. That loss was part of a string that saw the Illini drop four in a row.
2. Iowa comes out on top in a strengths-and-weaknesses comparison. A couple key Illinois trouble spots (opponent free throws and breakaways) are areas where Iowa excels. Iowa’s potential trouble spots don’t match up well with the Illini’s skill set.
3. Where Illinois comes out on top is in the consistency department. The Illini tend to hoist more level field goal accuracy numbers on offense and defense. They have averaged 72 PPG while allowing 64.9 ppg, marks that rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in a deep and talented Big Ten. For the Hawkeyes, recent road efforts tell the story, with solid games against Michigan State (a well-played loss against a top-10 foe) and Minnesota (impressive win) and missteps against Purdue and Indiana (boat races with Iowa down 10-plus throughout).
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Iowa at Illinois: Odds, betting lines and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:35 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Illinois 73, Iowa 71
Moneyline (ML)
Iowa has shown a tremendous ability to bounce back from shaky performances and be sharp the next time out.
The lean is a slight one toward the home five, but the current price on Iowa is too attractive to bypass. WILL BACK IOWA +140.
New to sports betting and confused about moneyline odds? In this case a $10 winning bet on Iowa would return a profit of $14 if they win outright.
Against the Spread (ATS)
The Hawkeyes are 2-5 straight up and 3-4 ATS over their last seven road tilts. But they’re 10-1 in following a SU loss.
The lean here isn’t definable either way. WILL PASS ON ILLINOIS -3.5 (-110).
Over/Under (O/U)
The Under is: 17-13 in all Iowa games … 18-11 in all Illinois games … 6-1 after an Iowa loss to a Big Ten foe … 11-5 in Illinois home games … 13-6 in Illinois conference games.
This is one to grab before the line moves against you. TAKE THE UNDER 149.5 (-121).
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