Illinois Fighting Illini (16-6) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (14-8)
February 4, 2023 2:30 pm EDT
The Line: Iowa Hawkeyes -2.5 / Illinois Fighting Illini +2.5 ; Over/Under: 155.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa Hawkeyes meet Saturday in college basketball action from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Illinois is 16-6 overall this year. The Illini beat Nebraska in their last game on Tuesday. As for Iowa, they’re sitting at 14-8 following a win versus Northwestern. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois managed an 11-5 record over their first 16 games. The Illini have hit a solid 5-1 stretch since then featuring wins over Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Nebraska alongside a lone loss to Indiana.
In their Tuesday matchup versus Nebraska, the Illini went into the break with a 38-37 edge. Illinois hit a 34-19 run in the second half and powered out a 72-56 win. Tops in scoring was Matthew Mayer with 16 points and six rebounds.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Over on the Iowa side, they started out the year with six losses in their first 16 games. The Hawkeyes are 4-2 in the six outings since then. Iowa has beaten Michigan, Maryland, Rutgers and Northwestern in that stretch with losses to Ohio State and Michigan State.
Matched up against Northwestern on Tuesday, the Hawkeyes went into the break tied 39-39. Iowa woke up after that and hit a 47-31 run on the way to an 86-70 victory. Payton Sandfort and Filip Rebraca (10 rebounds) each hit 20 points in the win.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably stick with Illinois in this one. The Illini seem to have rediscovered their early-season form and they’re a nice 7-1 over their last eight games. Illinois has scored 69 or more points in six of those seven wins as well. As for Iowa, they’ve hit 76 or more points in eight of their last nine games so it’s going to take a big offensive push for Illinois to keep pace at Carver-Hawkeye. That said, I like the Illini to hang around in this one and ultimately cover (and maybe win) in a high-scoring game. Should be a fun rivalry matchup.
