Illinois vs Sam Houston State Prediction 11/13/26 College Basketball Picks Today

Illinois vs Sam Houston Prediction

I’ll stick with the Illini. In their first loss of the year versus Texas Tech on Tuesday, Illinois took a road loss 84-78 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock. The Illini shot well in that one with 50 percent from the field and allowed a tepid 40 percent shooting on defense. Thing is, Illinois also missed some free throws on 42 percent (8-of-19) and had a 43-32 rebounding deficit with 16 turnovers. It was a pretty sloppy ball-control performance, especially for the No. 3-ranked team in the nation (at the time). Illinois is scoring well this year but they’ve really got to get the miscues under control and find a little more success on the boards.

As for Sam Houston, they’re coming off a matchup versus Pepperdine this week. In that one the Bearkats powered out an eight-point win to move to 2-1 overall. Sam Houston shot a tepid 40 percent from the field with 25 percent (5-of-20) from outside in that one but also had 89 percent (34-of-38) from the line alongside a 44-31 rebounding edge. Needless to say however, Friday’s matchup will represent a huge uptick in competition.

Game Info, Stats and Previews

The Sam Houston State Bearkats and the Illinois Fighting Illini meet Friday in college basketball action from State Farm Center in Champaign. Here’s a collection of relevant information and reasoning for a sound Illinois vs Sam Houston prediction. We have looked at this information from a betting perspective and attempted to determine the best Illinois vs Sam Houston State pick.

Sam Houston Bearkats Betting Preview

The Bearkats have three games in the bag so far, with some mixed results in the record column. Sam Houston had a tough draw in their opener on the road versus a very good Alabama team in their opener. The Bearkats took a 96-74 loss in that one. Tops in scoring during the losing effort was Jacobe Coleman with 16 points and six rebounds. As for game two, Sam Houston managed their first win of the season versus an overmatched Howard Payne squad 102-59. The Bearkats shot 53 percent from the field in that one with a 66-31 rebounding advantage. Leading the scoring was Aidan McDowell with 18 points and six rebounds.

In game three versus Pepperdine on Wednesday, the Bearkats got another win 85-77 at Bernard G Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville. Leading scorers Aidan McDowell and Jacobe Coleman each had 20 points in the win.

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview

Over on the Illinois side, they opened up the season with a couple of victories. First was a match at State Farm Center versus Fairleigh Dickinson. The Illini cruised to a win there 120-45. Illinois shot a nice 55 percent from the field with a 65-21 rebounding edge. Leading the charge were Andrej Stojakovic and Stefan Vaaks, each with 20 points. As for game two, that one was another blowout win at home versus Penn 112-70. The Illini shot well again on 59 percent from the field with a 62-33 rebounding edge and just 29 percent allowed on defense. Illinois did have 19 turnovers in a pretty sloppy game, though.

Matched up against Texas Tech on Tuesday the Illini traveled to Lubbock and left with an 84-78 loss at United Supermarkets Arena. Illinois’ top scorer in the losing effort was Quentin Coleman on 19 points with five rebounds and four assists. Stojakovic added 18 points with three rebounds and three assists as well.

Sam Houston State Bearkats @ Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends: November 13, 2026

Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win

• Illinois has won each of its last 19 November games as an AP-ranked team against a non-AP-ranked team.
• Sam Houston State has lost each of its last four road games.
• Illinois has won the first half in each of its last 14 night games at State Farm Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Sam Houston State Bearkats will win

• Sam Houston State has won four of its last five night games following a home win.
• Sam Houston State has won the first half in 12 of its last 15 night games.