Northwestern vs Illinois prediction, pick, College Basketball odds
01/25/2025 05:36 PM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Northwestern-Illinois prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Northwestern-Illinois.
The Northwestern Wildcats are on the wrong side of the bubble. They are in the bubble conversation but would not be in the NCAA Tournament if the season ended right now. The good news for Northwestern is that it has played a very, very tough Big Ten schedule in the month of January. The schedule gets easier in February, and the Wildcats will get their shot to play their way into the field. Before the schedule gets easier, though, Northwestern plays a tough game at Illinois.
The Fighting Illini have a lot of upside, but the book on Illinois in nearly every season Brad Underwood has coached this program is that there’s a lot of variance between the best version of the Illini and the worst version. Elite Illinois can beat any team in the country. The team which scored 109 points at Oregon and won at 32 is a Final Four-level team. The team which beat Penn State by 39 is a Final Four team. However, on the other side of the coin, Bad Illinois can show up. This is a team which can get hammered by Maryland at home a few days ago and which lost decisively at home to USC. Bad Illinois can completely flame out and make mediocre teams look really good. The constant challenge for the Illini is to make sure their floor is higher. We know their ceiling is high, but their floor can be alarmingly low.
Northwestern already did beat Illinois once this season, back in December. The Wildcats have lost a lot of close games this season, but the Illinois game was one they were able to snatch when they had the chance to do so. Northwestern could take a huge step toward March Madness if it can find a way to sweep the volatile Illini.
Here are the Northwestern-Illinois College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Northwestern-Illinois Odds
Northwestern: +8.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +320
Illinois: -8.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -420
Over: 148.5 (-106)
Under: 148.5 (-114)
How to Watch Northwestern vs Illinois
Time: 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
TV: Big Ten Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Northwestern Will Cover The Spread/Win
Late-breaking news has come in on Saturday, roughly 24 hours before tipoff in Champaign: Illinois frontcourt force Tomislav Ivisic, who averages 13 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, will not play in this game. He is out with mononucleosis. That’s a notable loss of a really productive player for Illinois. Northwestern can exploit that absence and win, or at the very least, cover the spread.
Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win
Illinois played terribly against Maryland. The chances of the Illini playing two straight really bad games at home is low. It is likely that Illinois will bounce back with a sharp performance against a Northwestern team which is not very imposing at all. Illinois has struggled at home in the month of January, and one would think that the Illini are eventually going to become a better home team as the season goes along. They are too good to continue to lose home games against less-than-great opponents. Also, Illinois is not going to get swept by Northwestern. Having already lost to NU should enable Illinois to be focused and in the right frame of mind for this game.
Final Northwestern-Illinois Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Northwestern, but we don’t have a strong feel for this game. Pass.
Final Northwestern-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Northwestern +8.5
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