Illinois Basketball: Betting odds, predictions, and game info against the Indiana Hoosiers.

We are in must-win mode, as the Illinois basketball team is set to take on the Indiana Hoosiers.

In the first matchup, the Illini couldn’t handle the Hoosiers in Champaign. Indiana was able to get the best of us, 80-65. On Saturday, hopefully, this score is used as motivation, as Big Ten title and Big Ten Tournament double-bye hopes are on the line.

Our record this year betting Illinois is 8-7 moneyline, 7-8 spread, and 10-6 over/under. After having a few good weeks, we lost all three bets against Penn State. Let’s change that trajectory.

Here are the Illinois basketball betting odds, predictions, and game info against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Odds

Illinois basketball vs. Indiana – Spread

It looks like Las Vegas has zero faith in Illinois, as they have the Illini getting 6.5 points against Indiana.

Advice

As mentioned above, Illinois lost to Indiana by 15 points the first time around. This was a terrible game and one that I would like to forget.

Let’s take a look at what went wrong in that first game. The Illini couldn’t stop Trayce Jackson-Davis. We had zero answers for him, and he ended up with 35 points.

I don’t see that happening again. I see Illinois coming out with a better game plan against the Hoosiers and their talented big man.

A part of that game plan is going to be utilizing Matthew Mayer. In the first game, Mayer wasn’t healthy. He was dealing with an illness, so he wasn’t effective on the floor, and he only played 22 minutes. A fully healthy Mayer is going to give Jackson-Davis some trouble. I also believe there

Illinois also does a good job stopping teams when they shoot from inside the three-point arc. This season, we are only allowing opponents to shoot 44% from two-point range, which ranks No. 9 in the country. Sometimes teams just have bad games, and I think that is what happened in the first matchup.

Look for the Illini to play much better against Indiana this time around. Mayer is healthy and we will have a game plan for Jackson-Davis. I like Illinois and the points here.

Prediction – Illinois +6.5

Illinois basketball vs. Indiana – Moneyline

I think this might be the biggest underdog Illinois has been this season. The Illini are coming into the Indiana game at +210, while the Hoosiers are -250.

Advice

When you look at the last few games, you would think Illinois wasn’t playing well. We have dropped two out of our past three contests. But I believe the Illini are actually playing some of their best basketball of the season.

Against both Iowa and Penn State, Illinois ran into a hot-shooting team. Guarded or unguarded, they would make shots from anywhere on the court. There was nothing we could do.

Thankfully, we don’t have to worry too much about shooting from three-point range against Indiana. The Hoosiers are only getting 23.8% of their points from long range, which ranks No. 337 in the nation.

Indiana has dropped two out of their last five games. In this stretch, they are averaging 64.8 points per game. So, it’s not like the Hoosiers are playing lights out right now.

Look for Illinois to not only be competitive in this contest, but I like them outright. I think the first game was a mixture of the Orange and Blue being unhealthy, and us not having an answer for Jackson-Davis.

Prediction – Illinois +210

Illinois basketball vs. Indiana – Over/Under

The prediction is that this game between Illinois and Indiana is going to be high scoring. The over/under is set at 143 points.

Advice

This is one of the highest over/under bets I have seen for the Illini this season. I would imagine it is set that high due to the first game having a total of 145 points.

I think the first game was a bit of a fluke, though. As mentioned above, Indiana hasn’t been scoring a lot lately. They are putting up just 64.8 points per game over the past five contests.

On the same note, Illinois likes to jack up a lot of three-pointers, but we aren’t good at shooting from distance. Over the past five games, the Illini are shooting 24% from three-point range, and we have taken 146 three-pointers in that stretch. That is 29.2 three-pointers per game.

I think the big caveat is whether or not Illinois is able to slow down Jackson-Davis. I think we will due to Mayer being healthy and Illinois having a better idea of who matches up best against the Indiana big man. I see Jackson Davis scoring between 20-25 points on Saturday.

With that being said, I see this game being close to 143 points, but I don’t think it will get there. This will be an ugly grind-it-out game.

Prediction – Under 143 points

Illinois basketball vs. Indiana – Game Info

Date & Time: February 18 – 11:00 a.m. CT

TV: ESPN

Streaming: Fubo TV