Illinois basketball how to watch and best bets against Marquette

Illinois basketball is back in action on Tuesday night in a tough matchup against No. 4 Marquette.

The Illini will take on the first ranked opponent of the season as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. Marquette is going to be a tough team to beat, as they are stacked at guard and are looking to bolster their resume for the postseason.

When it comes to gambling, this season I am 4-4. I have a record of 0-4 against the spread, and I am undefeated when it comes to the over/under at 4-0.

2023-24 season – 4-4

vs. Eastern Illinois

• Spread – 0-3
• Over/Under – 2-0

vs. Oakland

• Spread – 0-1
• Over/Under – 2-0

Here is the game info and best bets for the Illinois basketball game against Marquette

Game Info

• Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Marquette Golden Eagles
• 7:00 p.m. CT
• TV: FS1

Best Bets

• Marquette 1st Half (+105) (1st Half)

Illinois has started slowly in the first two games. We have dug ourselves into holes but have been able to climb out due to the opposing team not being very good.

There is a solid chance the Illini start slowly once again, but Marquette is a different animal. They won’t allow Illinois to get back into the game easily. I think there is a decent chance the Illini get into a hole and can’t climb out fully in the first half.

• Marquette Over 34.5 Points (-110) (1st Half)

This one goes hand in hand with the previous bet. Illinois will likely start slowly, and Marquette will be able to put a lot of points on the board in the first 10 minutes. While the scoring will slow down, I think the Golden Eagles can get to the 35-point mark in the first half.

• Terrence Shannon Jr. Under 2.5 3-Pointers (-175) (Game)

Illinois relies on Terrence Shannon Jr. for a lot of the point production. He is going to have the ball a ton against Marquette, and Shannon likes to take three-pointers regardless of whether it is a good shot or not.

But that doesn’t mean Shannon will hit those three-point attempts. Last season, there were only five games where he hit more than two three-point shots. He has one such game thus far this year. I think Shannon will attempt quite a few, but he will stay under three converted three-pointers.

Risky Bets

• Quincy Guerrier Over 1.5 3-Pointers (+200) (Game)

Do you want to take a bit of a gamble? I think taking Quincy Guerrier 2+ three-pointers on Tuesday night is worth the risk. He is a willing three-point shooter, and last season, Guerrier hit at least two three-pointers in 12 games he played.

On top of that, Marquette isn’t great at three-point defense. The Golden Eagles allowed opponents to shoot 34.7% from beyond the three-point arc in 2022-23. Look for Guerrier to shoot at least four three-point shots on Tuesday night and, hopefully, he knocks down two of those attempts.