Previous Betting News

The annual Braggin’ Rights basketball game between Illinois of the Big Ten and Missouri of the SEC, always one of the most important matchups on each team’s non-conference schedule, resumes Friday night from a neutral site in St. Louis with the No. 13 Illini as 6.5-point favorites on the NCAAB odds. 2023 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis #13 Illinois vs. Missouri | MyBookie Sportsbook College Basketball Regular Season: November 6, 2023 – March 17, 2024 | Week 7 NCAAB

How to Bet Illinois vs. Missouri NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Friday, 9 PM ET
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
TV: FOX Sports 1
Stream: FOX Sports app
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Illinois -6.5 (total 149)

Series History

Illinois leads all-time 33-20 and 26-15 in games played in St. Louis. However, Missouri won easily there last year 93-71 when it was unranked and Illinois was No. 16. Kobe Brown dominated with 31 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals in the winning effort. With a free throw at 5:26 in the second half, Brown broke the record for most points ever scored by a Tiger in a Braggin’ Rights game with his final tally of 31. D’Moi Hodge had 20 points. Mizzou finished the contest shooting 59.3 percent from the field, including 10-of-20 (50%) from behind the arc. The Tigers held Illinois to 25-of-62 (40.3%) from the field and allowed just 22.6 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Why Bet on Illinois?

No. 13 Illinois (8-2) comes off a 74-57 home win over a good Colgate team on Sunday. The Illini led off with a 14-0 run and never looked back. Terrence Shannon Jr. started the scoring with a triple on the Illini’s first possession, setting the tone in a 14-point, 5-block performance.

“That start was really important,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. “Outside of a couple layups, our defense was really good in the first half.”

Shannon Jr. has scored at least 14 points in every game this season, and has reached double-figures scoring in 20 straight contests dating back to Jan. 31, 2023. As the primary defender on Braedon Smith, Shannon Jr. held Colgate’s leading scorer to just 2 points on 1-7 FGs.  Shannon Jr. ranks second in the Big Ten and 16th in the NCAA in scoring at 20.9 points per game.

Illinois’ balanced effort featured four double-digit scorers with Coleman Hawkins leading the way with 16 points, followed by Quincy Guerrier (15), Shannon (14), and Marcus Domask (11).  It marked Hawkins’ first game of the season (fourth career) as the Illini’s top scorer. Since returning from a three-game absence due to a knee injury, Hawkins is averaging 10.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 29.5 minutes per game over the Illini’s last four contests.

The Illini shot 42% from the field, 35% from three, and 91% from the line, plus had another dominant day on the glass, outrebounding Colgate, 43-25. Illinois, which entered the day fourth in the nation in rebounding, grabbed 13 offensive boards and featured four players with at least seven rebounds in Ty Rogers (8), Dain Dania (8), Guerrier (7), and Hawkins (7).

Defensively, Illinois ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage defense (.372), 30th in scoring margin (+15.2), 36th in scoring defense (64.2 ppg), and 51st in 3-point percentage defense (.292). Illinois also ranks among the top three nationally in two defensive categories via KenPom, ranking second in the nation in 2-point defense (.404), and third in effective field goal percentage defense (.414).

The Illini rank third in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (32.2) and are fourth in total rebounds per game (44.8), while ranking 12th in rebound margin (+12.6). All three figures lead the Big Ten. The Illini have outrebounded their opponents in eight of 10 games this season.

KenPom also rates the Illini among the top-30 programs nationally in adjusted efficiency on both offense (28th, 115.2) and defense (14th, 93.2). Illinois is one of only 13 programs to rank inside the top 30 in both metrics.

Illinois’ matchup vs. Missouri is the team’s fourth in a stretch of five consecutive non-conference games against programs that qualified for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Illini enter the Braggin’ Rights game in St. Louis with their highest ranking in 11 years (No. 10, 2012).

Bet Illinois to Win
MyBookie Betting Lines for NCAAB

Why Bet on Missouri?

Missouri (7-4) has lost back-to-back games but against good teams Kansas and Seton Hall – the Tigers come off a 93-87 loss to the Pirates on Sunday at a neutral site in Kansas City. Seton Hall led by as many as 19 points with under six minutes left by shooting 58.9% from the field (33 of 56), including hitting 10 of 23 from long range.

The Tigers continued to sag off their opponents, and Seton Hall took advantage by knocking down a season-high 10 3-pointers. Several of them came on wide-open looks. Still, Missouri made it interesting down the stretch, cutting a once 19-point deficit to four with less than a minute to go, but the Tigers ran out of time.

“If we can bottle that last four minutes up, it would be a completely different game,” Coach Dennis Gates said. “I just thought our guys over-thought trying to play perfect in that situation.”

Missouri junior Tamar Bates matched his career high with 22 points – making 7-of-12 field goals and all four of his three-point attempts. It was the first time in his career he was perfect from three with a minimum of four attempts. Graduate Sean East II chipped in 16 points and six assists, while classmate Nick Honor also scored in double figures with 14 points.

Mizzou hit 45.2 percent of its shots, including 12-of-24 from behind the three-point line. However, the Tigers couldn’t slow down a strong Seton Hall attack as the Pirates made 58.9 percent of their field goals and a 10-of-23 clip from three. The 87 points marked the most scored by Missouri in a loss in the Gates era. Mizzou is now 27-1 when scoring 75 or more under Gates and 29-2 with 70 or more points.

East II leads the Tigers with 17.1 points and 3.9 assists per game. Overall, three Tigers score in double figures with Honor tallying 12.5 points and Noah Carter chipping in 11.7 points. Carter also leads Mizzou with 6.5 rebounds. Missouri is scoring 75.5 points per game, while allowing 70.1 points on defense.

The Tigers have won four of the last five meetings with the Illini. Mizzou already owns one win over the Big Ten this season, defeating Minnesota on the road, 70-68, on Nov. 16. The last time the Tigers posted two wins over Big Ten foes in the same season was 2003-04 with victories over Indiana and Iowa.

Bet Missouri to Win
MyBookie Betting Lines for NCAAB

Bet NCAAB Championship Lines
MyBookie Odds for the Games

Previous Betting News

Minnesota is squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, so the Gophers could use a resume-building win over No. 5 Illinois – one of the Big Dance favorites – on Saturday in the Twin Cities. However, Illinois will be favored on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Illinois at Minnesota NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
Where: Williams Arena
TV: Fox
Stream: Fox Sports Go
Radio:com
Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA (Illinois will be favored)

Last Meeting

These schools opened the Big Ten schedule against one another on Dec. 15 at Illinois and the Illini rolled to a 92-65 win when they were ranked 13^th. Kofi Cockburn scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in only 25 minutes. He became the first player to have at least 33 points and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes or less against a Division I opponent since Michael Beasley had 33 and 15 for Kansas State in 22 minutes versus Iowa State in January 2008. The Gophers jumped out to a 15-8 lead but finished the first half 3 for 26 from the field. They shot 23% percent before the break overall. The Gophers were 19 of 69 (28%) from the field, while the Illini shot 34 for 64 (53%).

Why Bet on Illinois? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

That’s when Ayo Dosunmu again took control of the game, scoring eight of the Illini’s final 13 points, including a dagger three-pointer with :39 left, to seal the Illini’s 11th Big Ten win.

Northwestern won the second half 40-35. It marked the ‘Cats’ second game in Big Ten play this season with over 40 points in the second half. The ‘Cats were aggressive on the defensive end, forcing Illini 10 turnovers in the first half. The Wildcats have won or tied the first-half turnover battle in 16 out of 19 games this season. Ultimately, Northwestern won the turnover battle 15-12, marking the 13th time Northwestern has turned the ball over fewer times than its opponent this season.

The Illini shot 60% from the field before the break to Northwestern’s 37% and led 38-26 at halftime.

“It was a thing of beauty, the first seven, eight minutes,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “But then Kofi (Cockburn) got into foul trouble.”

The Illini were led by double-digit performances from four different players, including Dosunmu’s 13 points and five assists, and Kofi Cockburn’s fourth-straight double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds). Both Adam Miller and Georgi Bezhanishvili dropped 10 points.

Cockburn’s 15 double-doubles rank second in the nation, and he has recorded a double-double in 12 of 14 B1G games this season. Cockburn is just one of three players from the high-major conferences currently averaging a double-double (17.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg).

Illinois’ 11-3 conference record is its best through 14 games since the 2005 Big Ten championship team started 13-0 en route to a 15-1 league record. Over the last two Big Ten seasons, Illinois has the best win percentage (.706) and the most wins (24).

Why Bet on Minnesota? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

“We played team defense. We finally locked in. We strung a couple of stops together. That led to that gap we made at the end of the game,” Indiana’s Aljami Durham said.

The IU defense held Minnesota to 4-of-20 (20.0%) from the 3-point line, the least amount of made triples for a Big Ten foe this season. Indiana has held opponents to 25.0% shooting or worse from behind the arc in six contests this season. The Hoosiers are 6-0 in those games. Minnesota is now 0-9 playing on an opponent’s home court this season.

Jamal Mashburn, Jr. and Marcus Carr each scored 19 points to lead the Golden Gophers. Brandon Johnson had 12 points and Tre’ Williams 11. Minnesota junior guard Gabe Kalscheur missed the game and is out indefinitely after suffering a hand injury in Tuesday’s practice. He is 84 points shy of scoring 1,000 for his career.

Kalscheur has struggled to shoot for a second consecutive season — 32 percent from the field and 24 percent from 3-point range — but his poise led to the win over then-No. 24 Purdue last week. He is considered Minnesota’s best perimeter defender and one of its most fundamentally sound contributors.

Expert College Basketball Prediction

Illinois 77, Minnesota 73

Previous Betting News

For the first time in decades, Penn State will take the court as a Top-10 team on Tuesday when the No. 9 Nittany Lions host a struggling Illinois side in Big Ten action. PSU is favored on the Mybookie NCAAB odds. Let’s see how the College Basketball betting odds will be for the Illinois vs Penn State.

Illinois vs Penn State 2020 College Basketball Betting Lines & Game Preview

When: Tuesday, 6:30 PM ET
Where: Bryce Jordan Center
TV: Fox Sports 1
Opening NCAAB Lines: Penn State -7 (total 141)

Illinois vs Penn State Season Series

This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams. Last year, PSU was 2-0 vs. Illinois. It was 72-56 at home. Josh Reaves dominated with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Reaves made 10 of 17 field-goal attempts to lead the Nittany Lions in a game they led for all but 3:23 of the second half. He added four steals, two assists and a block. Penn State trailed 32-31 at halftime but Reaves scored 11 of Penn State’s first 16 points in the second and his fourth 3-pointer gave Penn State a lead it wouldn’t relinquish just over three minutes into the half. Ayo Dosunmo and Giorgi Bezhanishvili scored 16 points apiece for Illinois.

Illinois leads the overall series vs. Penn State 28-19. The Illini have an 11-10 edge over the Nittany Lions in University Park.

Why Bet on Illinois?

The Illini (16-9, 8-6) lost their fourth in a row Saturday, 72-57 at Rutgers. Ron Harper hit all five of his 3-pointers and scored 27 points, and Rutgers remained unbeaten at home. Illinois played without leading scorer Ayo Dosunmu (15.8 points). The sophomore guard hurt his left knee at the final buzzer in a loss against Michigan State last Tuesday night. There was no structural damage, and he made the road trip, watching the game in sweats.

“Without our alpha, we competed, but you can’t shoot 26% on the road (second half) and win,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “Give the Rutgers defense a lot of credit for that. They deserve that.”

Alan Griffin scored 14 points and Kofi Cockburn had his 10th double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Illinois. It was just the second-ever win for Rutgers over Illinois, snapping a four-game series winning streak for the Illini. Illinois leads the all-time series 7-2.

For this one, Illinois is looking to end a six-game skid against Penn State. Illinois’ last victory over the Nittany Lions was Jan. 31, 2015 in Champaign. The Illini’s last win at the Jordan Center, meanwhile, came on Feb. 9, 2014.

Illinois has dropped 18 straight against Top 25 opponents in true road games. Illinois beat No. 13 Maryland last season at Madison Square Garden, but the Illini’s last victory on a ranked team’s home court was a 66-63 win at No. 24 Iowa on March 8, 2014, on a Jon Ekey three with :00.5 left.

Illinois’ last road win over a Top-10 team was an 85-73 victory at No. 10 Gonzaga on Dec. 8, 2012. The Illini’s last conference road win against a Top-10 team, meanwhile, was a 71-67 OT victory at No. 9 Purdue on Dec. 30, 2008. Illinois has won three Big Ten road games, tied with Michigan State and Wisconsin for third-most in the league behind Penn State and Maryland (4 apiece).

Why Bet on Penn State?

The Lions (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) won their eighth in a row Saturday, 77-61 over Northwestern. They’ve arrived at 20 wins sooner than any other season in program history.

Four Nittany Lions finished in double figures in the 13th home win of the 2019-20 season with senior forward Lamar Stevens leading the charge with 23. Penn State’s No. 2 all-time scorer, Stevens now has 2,103 career points. Stevens is one of only two active Division I players with at least 2,100 career points and 800 career rebounds.

The Nittany Lions connected on 11 3-point field goals vs. the Wildcats, their second-straight game with double-figures in treys, and crashed the boards with a +12 margin at 42-30. Senior forward Mike Watkins had a game-high nine rebounds.

Sophomore Myles Dread had four 3-pointers in his second-consecutive game and finished with a season-best 16 points. Junior guard Jamari Wheeler also turned in a season-best with 11 points, making a career-best three 3-pointers.

Penn State guard Myreon Jones missed his third straight game with an illness but appears to be on the mend. Jones shot around with his teammates before the game and was on the bench. Coach Patrick Chambers said Jones is getting healthier, but that Penn State wouldn’t rush their No. 2 shooter back.

“I think we need to ease him back,” Chambers said.

The Nittany Lions earned their 10th Big Ten Conference victory Saturday, the second-highest Big Ten win total in program history. The 1995-96 team finished with 12 wins and the 2008-09 team had 10, both in seasons with 18 league games.

Illinois vs Penn State Expert Prediction

Penn State 76, Illinois 67

Previous Betting News

No. 15 Wisconsin enters this week tied atop the Big Ten standings with Maryland. The Badgers are solid favorites Tuesday night when they visit a middling Illinois team that’s close to the cellar in the conference and won’t be going to the Big Dance again this season. The Illini are dangerous at home, however. Be sure to check out for more college basketball odds by clicking here.

Wisconsin at Illinois Odds, Expert Pick & TV Info

When: Saturday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Center, Champaign
TV: Big Ten Network
Opening NCAA Basketball Lines: UW favored by TBA

Why Bet On Wisconsin?

The Badgers avoided a huge upset on Saturday in beating Rutgers 61-54 at Madison Square Garden. Sophomore forward Ethan Happ finished with a career-high 32 points to lead the way. Bronson Koenig added 10 points for UW, which overcame a nine-point deficit over the final 3 minutes, 11 seconds of regulation and won despite shooting 12.0 percent (3 of 25) from 3-point range.

Happ, the reigning Big Ten Co-Player of the Week, came into Saturday the Badgers’ leader in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in conference play. He dominated offensively for Wisconsin, while adding six rebounds. Rutgers did not have any answer for Happ. The sophomore imposed his will down low for long stretches and snared the game-tying basket with two seconds remaining in regulation when Rutgers opted not to foul him.

The Badgers (18-3, 7-1 Big Ten) finished at 33.3 percent overall, but it took a red-hot closing stretch to get to that mark. Over the final 8:11 of the game, the Badgers went 11 of 14 from the field with 29 points in 15 possessions.

Both the field goal percentage and 3-point percentage were season lows for Wisconsin. Rutgers finished with a 44-41 rebound advantage but the Scarlet Knights committed 19 turnovers that turned into 17 points for the Badgers.

“Obviously, not exactly a thing of beauty,” Coach Greg Gard said after his team overcame field goal droughts of 13:52 and 7:19. “But thankfully, defensively we were able to get some things done and we kept them off the glass enough. And then eventually, just about in the nick of time, we were able to get a couple of shots to go down.”

Why Bet On Illinois?

Illinois lost to Penn State 71-67 on Saturday after nearly rallying from a 22-point hole. It was still a fifth straight loss on the road in Big Ten play for Illinois (13-9, 3-6 Big Ten) and a stumble right back off that ladder the Illini were climbing after securing a home win Wednesday against Iowa. And it was another step away from their diminishing chances of an NCAA tournament bid with nine regular-season games remaining — not to mention a reset for an Illinois team without consecutive regular-season Big Ten wins since the tail end of the 2014-15 season.

Allowing the Nittany Lions to shoot 49.1 percent for the game followed Illinois’ trend on the road in Big Ten play this season. Maryland shot 55.9 percent in its 25-point win, Indiana shot 59.2 percent in winning by 16, Purdue was the highest at 60.4 percent in a 23-point victory and Michigan shot 45.1 percent and dealt with a late Illini rally in a nine-point win.

“You’ve got to do it for a longer period of time,” Coach John Groce said. “Our sustainability with that has got to be better.” Malcolm Hill led Illinois with 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists, while Jalen Coleman-Lands added 13 points for the Orange and Blue.

Hill is only four rebounds away from becoming just the fifth Illini player in school history – and the ninth active Div. I player – in the career 1,600-point/600- rebound club. Senior Maverick Morgan has scored in double figures in nine of the last 11 games, averaging 12.9 points on 60.9 percent shooting over this stretch. Morgan is Illinois’ second-leading scorer during Big Ten play, averaging 12.3 points on 58.5 percent shooting. Illinois ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 75.9 ppg. The Illini have scored at least 75 points in 12 of their 13 wins.

This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams this season. The Illini were 0-2 vs. Wisconsin last year.

Wisconsin at Illinois Expert Pick: Wisconsin Badgers

Go Wisconsin in what will be a low-scoring, ugly affair.

Previous Betting News

After beating the Illinois Fighting Illini by an insane 34 points in their previous meeting this season, the Indiana Hoosiers will look to record their second straight rout of their Big Ten rivals while improving their chances of getting a high seed come March Madness time. Now, let’s find out how much the Hoosiers are going to win this Big 10 college hoops odds bout by by!

How To Bet The Indiana Hoosiers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini NCAAB Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, February 25, 9:00 PM  ET Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois TV: ESPN NCAAB Odds: TBA

Why Bet The Indiana Hoosiers

The 22nd-ranked Hoosiers (22-6 SU, 14-14 ATS) have won two straight and five of its last seven games overall, including its 77-73 win over No. 17 Purdue on Saturday, though they failed to cover the spread as a 4.5-point home favorite. Small forward Troy Williams had 19 points, and guard Yogi Ferrell added 18, and Indiana held off a furious comeback to post a 77-73 victory.

The Big Ten-leading Hoosiers were up by as many as 19 points in the second half before Purdue put the pedal to the metal to get the score to 75-73 on Dakota Mathias 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining. Indiana outscored Purdue 20-3 in points off turnovers to halt a three-game losing streak against the Boilermakers.

“We wanted to create turnovers, and that is what we did,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said. “Purdue can beat you in so many ways, and we did an excellent job all night of limiting them to one shot.  “Yogi played a tremendous game, and Troy just had a phenomenal week. We had 57 deflections, 33 at halftime. Our guys were active with their hands and feet. That was a huge advantage for us.”

Why Bet The Illinois Fighting Illini

The Fighting Illini (12-15 SU, 11-11 ATS) have lost three of its last five games and five of seven overall, including its humbling 69-60 road loss against Wisconsin as an 11.5-point underdog. Junior guard Malcom Hill scored a team-high points 20 points for the Illinois while junior guard Kendrick Nunn added 15 points. Unfortunately, Illinois shot a dismal 39.3 percent from the floor in the loss while getting called for a whopping 19 fouls in the second half to just seven for Wisconsin.

“Fouling is a mistake. We don’t want to do that. We take a lot of pride in defending without fouling,” Groce said.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

Indiana averages exactly 10.0 points per game more than Illinois while also giving up 5.4 fewer points per game defensively, making this a lopsided affair just waiting to happen – again. The Hoosiers pounded the Fighting Illini silly in their 103-69 beat-down on January 19 and this game should be another rout for the March Madness-bound Hoosiers.

Indiana is 1-4 ATS in their last five road games, but the Hoosiers are also 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS loss. While Illinois has gone 4-1 ATS in their L/5 games overall, the Fighting Illini are also just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games versus a team with a winning record and 1-4 ATS in their last five home games.

With the Hoosiers going 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings, I say this game is a lock for Indiana to win by at least a dozen points.

My final score prediction: Indiana 83 Illinois 69