#20 Wisconsin vs Illinois: NCAA Basketball Predictions, Odds & Best Bets

The Big Ten battles it out tonight as the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Illinois Fighting Illini at the State Farm Center. Both teams are looking to bounce back as they lost last time on the court, but only one can be victorious tonight.

The Badgers have no lost two straight games, at home to Michigan and on the road to Marquette. They opened up winning 8 straight games, but now need to turn things around. However that will be a tough task on the road.

The Illini are coming off a road loss to Northwestern in overtime, losing their first Big Ten matchup of the season. They also have a neutral site loss to Alabama, and are looking ahead to a tough matchup against Tennessee on Saturday. Can they come focused and earn a win tonight? Or do the Badgers have what it takes to pull off this road upset?

#20 Wisconsin vs Illinois: Big Ten Basketball in Champaign

Matchup Information – Wisconsin vs Illinois

• Venue & Location: State Farm Center (Champaign, IL)
• Date: Tuesday, December 10th, 2024
• Tip Off: 9:00pm Eastern
• Broadcast: Peacock

Betting Odds

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Spread

• Wisconsin +6.5 (-107)
• Illinois -6.5 (-113)

Money Line

• Wisconsin +240
• Illinois -285

Total

• Over 154.5 (-110)
• Under 154.5 (-110)

Will Wisconsin Bounce Back on the Road?

We’ve got a battle of the bigs tonight as both centers look to guide their teams to victory. Seven foot Senior Steven Crowl leads the Badgers with 5.7 boards and 3.1 assists per game this season. It’s probably not a good thing when your center leads the team in assists, but that seems to be working for the Denver Nuggets just fine. Crowl will have his hands full against Ivisic from Illinois.

The Croatian center stands 7’1″ on the court, and averages 16 points, 9 boards and 2 assists for his team. The Illinois defense is Top 6 in the nation, and is currently 1st in eFG% Defense. They rarely foul or give up an offensive rebound, but they do struggle to force turnovers. This should come into play as the Badgers are Top 33 in TO Rate offense, with Illinois ranking in the Top 50 as well.

Offensively, the Illini love to run, and with the Badgers willingness to speed up this year, that’s fine by them. Both Illinois and Wisconsin rank in the Top 40 in adjusted offensive efficiency, and both shoot plenty of threes. The Badgers and Illini are both in the Top 75 in 3P Rate, with Illinois ranking 10th in the country, shooting from deep over half the time.

However, we have two very solid perimeter defenses, as Illinois rarely allows threes, and both teams hold their opponents to under 30% from beyond the arc. This puts both defenses in the Top 50 in 3P%, meaning teams will have to earn their points from downtown. Ultimately, the pace of this game alone should give these teams plenty of possessions, and with the rate the Badgers get to the FT Line, I think we could see plenty of points.

#20 Wisconsin Badgers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Best Bets

Wisconsin vs Illinois Prediction: Illinois Wins, Wisconsin Covers, Over 154.5

Best Bets: Max Klesmit Over 2.5 3s (+130) BetOnline

We are getting some incredible value here for a guy to do what he does best. We are betting on a shooter to shoot the ball.

The past two years, Klesmit has shot 38.3% and 38.9% from deep for the Badgers, averaging 3.6 to then 4.6 attempts per contest. This year, he is shooting a horrendous 29.7% from beyond the arc, but the volume has increased immensely. Klesmit is shooting over 7 three pointers per game this year, and even though he isn’t knocking the down, he’s going to keep shooting.

He found his groove against Marquette, knocking down over 50% of his shots from deep, going 6/11 from beyond the arc with 22 total points. He’s played 34+ minutes in 3 of his L4 contests, and has shot closer to 7.8 threes per game the past few outings.

Sure, Illinois defends the perimeter well, but with the pace of this game, mixed with the desperation to keep up, I see the Badgers opening things up and letting their sniper go to work.

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