The 20th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (14-5, 8-4 Big Ten) visit the No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini (12-5, 8-3) Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. ET conference showdown. Below, we analyze the Wisconsin-Illinois college basketball odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Wisconsin at Illinois: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:45 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Wisconsin +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Illinois -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Wisconsin +4.5 (-110) | Illinois -4.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 136.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Wisconsin at Illinois: Three things to know
- Wisconsin is coming off a home-and-away split with Penn State. The Badgers won 72-56 as 8.5-point home favorites Tuesday following an 81-71 loss as 4-point road favorites Jan. 30. They are 2-2 straight-up and 2-2 ATS in their last four games. Senior G D’Mitrik Trice leads UW in scoring (13.3 points per game), and senior F Micah Potter is the top rebounder (6.6 RPG).
- Illinois enters on a 3-game win streak, needing overtime to claim its most recent victory, a 75-71 thriller at Indiana Tuesday. The Illini were 3-point favorites and have covered the spread three games in a row. Junior G Ayo Dosunmu paces the Illini in scoring (21.2 PPG) and assists (4.6 APG).
- This is the first of two head-to-head matchups between the rivals this season. The Illini took the lone meeting last season, rallying for a 71-70 victory as 5.5-point road underdogs. Dosunmu scored the Illini’s final four points, including a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left as Illinois snapped 15-game losing streak in the series.
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Wisconsin at Illinois: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Illinois 71, Wisconsin 63
Money line (ML)
PASS. Illinois will prevail, but the -200 price is not worth the risk.
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Against the spread (ATS)
ILLINOIS -4.5 (-110) is the STRONGEST PLAY – 1½ times your usual wager. The Illini will win this game on the boards, keeping the Badgers from second-chance opportunities.
The Illini rank eighth in the country in rebound margin at 9.8 RPG, which leads the Big Ten. Sophomore C Kofi Cockburn is the main culprit, averaging a Big Ten-best 10.2 RPG. It could be a long afternoon for the Badgers’ big men.
ATS: Wisconsin 9-9-1 | Illinois 10-6-1
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 136.5 (-110) is the play. While Illinois scores 82.2 PPG to rank 18th in the country, Wisconsin’s defense leads the Big Ten at 62.5 PPG allowed to rank 24th.
These two love to play defense. The Under is 5-2 in the Badgers last 7 games, while the Under is 5-1 in the Illini’s last six home games.
O/U records: Wisconsin 10-9 | Illinois 10-7
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| Johnny’s 2020-21 CBK record / Strongest plays | 53-42-1 / 23-23 |
| 2020-21 CBK return on investment | +6.225 |
| CBK record since Jan. 1 / Strongest plays / ROI | 38-25-1 / 18-13 / +12.95 |
| 2021 record (all sports) / Strongest plays / ROI | 52-33-1 / 27-15 / +23.85 |
| 2020 record (all sports) / Strongest plays | 178-147-4 / 87-61-1 |
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