Coming off a huge win over No. 2 Texas on Tuesday, the Illinois basketball program is looking to cap off a great week with another win.
The Illini welcome in the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday. They are playing some great basketball and have the ability to put points on the board. This will be a true test for Illinois.
Here are the Illinois basketball betting odds, predictions, and game info against Penn State.
Odds
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Illinois vs. Penn State – Spread
The current spread of the game is Illinois -10.5 or Penn State +10.5. Despite the Illini playing well, that is a lot of points Illinois has to give up in a Big Ten game.
Advice
Penn State really hasn’t played anyone this season. They are sitting at 6-3, and their biggest win is probably over Butler. The Nittany Lions’ three losses are against average to below-average Virginia Tech, Clemson, and a struggling Michigan State squad. When they play a power-five team, Penn State just seems over-matched, but they do have the ability to keep games to single-digit points.
Illinois has won four in a row over Penn State, and I think that will continue on Saturday. This Illini squad should be able to put the Nittany Lions away.
Prediction – Illinois -10.5
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Illinois vs. Penn State – Moneyline
You aren’t getting a good bet here by any means. For the moneyline, Illinois is at -600 while Penn State is at +425. There isn’t much value in this bet.
Advice
First off, I would probably avoid this bet unless you toss it into a parlay to boost it a little bit. But if you are doing a straight bet on this game, you won’t get much in return on your bet if you put money on Illinois.
Some people might be intrigued to take Penn State due to their three-point shooting. They are shooting 39.3% from three-point range this season, which ranks No. 22 in the country. But they haven’t played anyone. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions are going up against a top-100 three-point defense in Illinois. We should be able to slow down Penn State’s shooting, and this should seal the deal.
Prediction – Illinois -600
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Illinois vs. Penn State – Over/Under
This is by far the most intriguing bet in the Illinois game. The over-under against Penn State is 140.5. That means Las Vegas is pegging this game as a relatively high-scoring affair.
Advice
I think there is a chance that both teams put up decent points in this game. As mentioned in the moneyline write-up, Penn State can shoot the three-point shot well. If they get hot, this game could easily hit the over.
With that being said, Penn State has only hit over 140.5 points two times in the past seven games, and one of those contests was a double-overtime game against Clemson. The other game was 141 points against Furman.
Illinois has only hit over 140 points in one game in the past five contests, and that was in overtime against Texas on Tuesday. These two teams have a tendency to go under, and while it makes me nervous, I would say take the under. This game could get ugly with defense.
Prediction – Under 140.5 points
Illinois vs. Penn State – Game Info
Date & Time: December 10 – 11:00 a.m. CT
TV: Big Ten Network
Streaming: Fubo TV
