After a big win over Ohio State, the Illinois basketball team hits the road to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Illini bested the Badgers the last time around, winning the game in Champaign, 79-69. Since that victory, Illinois has rattled off a four-game winning streak and has now won five out of the past six contests. This game on Saturday will not be an easy matchup, though.
Our record this year betting Illinois is 5-5 moneyline, 3-7 spread, and 6-5 over/under. I thought the Buckeyes would have kept the game close on Tuesday, but that wasn’t the case. The only loss I had was the spread. Let’s try to go 3-0 this week.
Here are the Illinois basketball betting odds, predictions, and game info against Wisconsin.
Odds
Illinois basketball vs. Wisconsin – Moneyline
Even though the Illini are heading up to Madison for this game, we are still favored to win it outright. Illinois enters the matchup at -130 and Wisconsin is getting +110.
Advice
The last time around, Wisconsin was missing one of their best players in Tyler Wahl. He returned to the lineup a few games ago, but the Badgers are still struggling.
Since Wahl’s return, Wisconsin is just 1-2 and have dropped their past two contests. This team isn’t playing at a high level right now.
Illinois has the opportunity to take advantage of a huge Wisconsin weakness. The Badgers are a bad rebounding team this season. They average pulling down 31.4 rebounds per game this season, which ranks No. 316 out of 363 DI programs.
When Wisconsin wins or pushes the rebounding battle this season, they are 5-0. When they lose the rebounding battle, they are 7-7. The Badgers are 2-5 in their last seven games, and they have a total rebounding margin of -57 in those contests.
On the other side of the court, Illinois is a really good rebounding squad. We pull down 39.3 rebounds per contest, which ranks No. 20 in the country. The Illini managed to win by 10 points against Wisconsin a few games ago, but we only won the rebounding battle by three.
I think Illinois can extend that rebounding margin. There is a decent chance we outrebound Wisconsin by seven or more rebounds on Saturday. Look for that to happen and for Illinois to come out victorious.
Prediction – Illinois -130
Illinois basketball vs. Wisconsin – Spread
I have been pretty bad at betting the spread in the Illinois games this season, but maybe this is where things turn around. Illinois is a small favorite in this game, as we are two-point favorites over Wisconsin.
Advice
As mentioned above, Wisconsin isn’t playing well right now. They are 2-5 in their last seven games, and one of those wins was a one-possession game against the worst team in the Big Ten.
Out of the five losses in the past seven games, three of those defeats for the Badgers have come by double-digit margins, which includes the loss to Illinois.
I just don’t think this is a very good matchup for Wisconsin. The few strengths they have are also Illinois’ strengths on the defensive end of the court.
The Badgers are a good three-point shooting team, as they hit 36.4% of their shots from deep on a nightly basis. That is good enough to rank No. 56 in the country. Illinois is only allowing opponents to shoot 31.6% from three-point range, which ranks No. 86 in the nation.
Illinois has a chance to expose Wisconsin’s weaknesses as well. We already talked about their bad rebounding, but they also struggle from inside the three-point arc. For the season, Wisconsin is shooting 46.3% from everywhere inside the three-point arc. That ranks No. 310 in the country. The Illini are allowing opponents to shoot just 43.7% from two-point range, which ranks No. 14 in the nation.
I would argue this is one of the better matchups for Illinois this season. We beat Wisconsin by 10 points the first time around, and I don’t think this time will be much different.
Prediction – Illinois -2
Illinois basketball vs. Wisconsin – Over/Under
The Illinois vs Ohio State game went under 145 points fairly easily, and Las Vegas adjusted their mindset for the Orange and Blue. Against Wisconsin, the over/under is set at 131.5 points.
Advice
Wisconsin is one of the slowest-playing teams in the country. They are a fundamental halfcourt team that tries to control the clock.
For the season, the Badgers average 65.9 possessions per game, which ranks No. 347 in the country. While Illinois plays a much faster brand of basketball, Wisconsin is sure to slow this game down.
The last time these two teams played, the score ended up being 148 points. I just don’t see that this time around. Wisconsin games are averaging 122 points over the last four contests. This includes failing to hit 130 points in all three games Tyler Wahl has been back.
Illinois also likes to take a lot of three-pointers, but we are not good at shooting from deep. The Illini are only hitting 32.6% from three-point range, which ranks No. 238 in the nation.
A good defense by both teams, a slow Wisconsin team, and Illinois thinking they can shoot from deep is a mixture for a low score. I see this game going under 131.5 points.
Prediction – Under 131.5 points
Illinois basketball vs. Wisconsin – Game Info
Date & Time: January 28 – 2:00 p.m. CT
TV: FOX
Streaming: Fubo TV