Illinois Basketball: Betting odds, predictions, and game info against the Penn State Nittany Lions

Jan 7, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) reacts to a score during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) reacts to a score during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois basketball takes the court on Tuesday night in an attempt to take down Penn State.

The last time these two teams matched up, the Illini were outplayed at home. We fell to the Nittany Lions 74-59, and it was one of the more disappointing losses this season.

Our record this year betting Illinois is 8-6 moneyline, 7-7 spread, and 10-5 over/under. We are now 11-1 in our last 12 bets, so hopefully, we can continue this hot streak tonight.

Here are the Illinois basketball betting odds, predictions, and game info against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Odds

Illinois basketball vs. Penn State – Moneyline

Despite being on the road and falling to Penn State in the last game, Illinois opens up as a favorite. The Illini are -170 while the Nittany Lions are +145.

Advice

At one point this season, Penn State was playing some great basketball. They took down Iowa and improved their record to 11-3 overall. But then they came back down to reality.

The Nittany Lions have now dropped seven out of their last 10 games, which includes a current four-game losing streak.

I would say the thing that scares me the most is the fact Penn State is a much better team at home. The three wins they have in their last 10 games were all home contests. They also fell to Wisconsin in overtime at home.

Unlike Penn State, Illinois has been playing some great basketball as of late. We have rattled off eight wins in our last 10 games.

The Illini just took down then-No. 24 Rutgers on Saturday. Illinois has played four road games out of the past 10 contests, and we are 3-1 in those games. The only loss was a close two-point game against Iowa.

I am not going to put too much stock into the first game between these two programs. At the time, Illinois had terrible chemistry and we didn’t know what we were as a team.

The Illini are now gelling, and this should be a much better outing. I have Illinois winning this game.

Prediction – Illinois -170

Illinois basketball vs. Penn State – Spread

Las Vegas thinks this game is going to be close. They have Illinois at -3.5 over Penn State.

Advice

While I think Illinois is going to win this game outright, the -3.5 is a little tougher to bet.

Penn State is a pretty good team. Their specialty is three-point shooting. They are taking 28 three-pointers per game this season, which ranks No. 8 in the country.

Taking a lot of three-pointers isn’t the impressive part, though. The Nittany Lions are making their shots at a clip of 38.7%, which ranks No. 10 in the country.

Illinois will hopefully be ready for Penn State’s three-point shooting this time around. In the first game, the Nittany Lions shot 50% from three-point range.

The Illini are usually good at defending the three-point arc, though. We are only allowing opponents to shoot 32.1% from three-point range this season, which ranks No. 84 in the country.

I would actually go out on a limb and say that the first game against Penn State was an outlier. That was the worst three-point shooting defense the Illini had this season. Over the past 12 games, Illinois opponents are only shooting 30.8% from three-point range.

Illinois has the ability to shut down three-point shooting. I think they do this on Tuesday night against Penn State. It will be close, but I am going to take the Illini and the points.

Prediction – Illinois -3.5

Illinois basketball vs. Penn State – Over/Under

The Rutgers game went under 133.5 on Saturday, but Las Vegas thinks the Penn State game is going to be a higher-scoring affair. The over/under is set at 141.5 points.

Advice

I am not going to look too much into the last game these two teams played when looking at the over/under.

Penn State is a really slow-playing team. They averaged just 67 possessions per game, which ranks No. 318 out of 363 DI programs. The thing that scares me about this team is their efficiency.

Usually, when a team doesn’t have too many possessions, their field goal attempts are low. That isn’t the case here. Penn State averages 58.1 field goal attempts per game, which ranks No. 130 in the country.

Illinois’ defense didn’t play well in that first game, and the score ended up being a total of 133 points. This time around, things should come back to normal. Look for the Nittany Lions to not shoot as well. This should equal a lower score.

I honestly believe this game is going to be around the game total as before. Penn State should score fewer points and Illinois will play better offensively. I see the score finishing something like 68-60 in favor of Illinois.

Prediction – Under 141.5 points

Illinois basketball vs. Penn State – Game Info

Date & Time: February 14 – 6:00 p.m. CT

TV: ESPNU

Streaming: Fubo TV