The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini meet Tuesday in college basketball action from the State Farm Arena. We will take a look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Illinois vs Iowa Prediction.
Matchup History
These two teams have not met yet this season, but Illinois won the last meeting by a final score of 73-61 last year at Iowa on March 10th, 2024. The win gave Illinois back-to-back wins and wins in six of the last seven head-to-head matchups.
Iowa Recap
The Iowa Hawkeyes come into this game looking to add on to their 85-79 win over Washington in their last matchup to sit at 15-12 on the year. After this game, Iowa will head on the road for a game against Northwestern.
Hawkeyes Looking For Road Win To Build Momentum
Payton Sandfort and Owen Freeman share Iowa’s lead in scoring with 16.7 PPG, with Sandfort logging 6 RPG and 2.9 APG and Freeman chipping in 6.7 RPG in 19 games played so far this season. Josh Dix has 14.2 PPG with 3 RPG and 2.8 APG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Iowa up to this point in the year. Brock Harding also has 8.7 PPG with a team-high 5.4 APG to lead the Hawkeyes in assists, while Pryce Sandfort has 8.6 PPG and Drew Thelwell has 9.7 PPG with 2.9 APG. As a team, Iowa is averaging 83.9 PPG on 49.2% shooting from the field, 37.9% from three, and 70.3% from the foul line this season.
Why the Iowa Hawkeyes will win
- Illinois has lost six of its last seven night games.
- Iowa has won three of its last four games at State Farm Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Illinois Recap
The Illinois Fighting Illini come into this game looking to bounce back from a frustrating 110-67 loss at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils last time out to sit at 17-11 on the year. After this game, Illinois will head on the road for a game against Michigan.
Illini Lose Third In A Row
Kasparas Jakucionis leads the Illini in scoring and assists with 15.5 PPG and 4.8 APG along with 5.6 RPG while Tomislav Ivisic has 12.4 PPG with a team-high 8 RPG to lead the Illini in rebounding up to this point in the year. Will Riley has 11.7 PPG with 3.9 RPG and Kylan Boswell has 11 PPG with 4.9 RPG and 3.1 APG to cap off the scoring in double figures for Illinois so far this season. Tre White also has 9.5 PPG with 5.3 RPG, and Ben Humrichous has 8.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG as well on the year. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn also has 7.4 PPG as well this season. As a team, Illinois is averaging 83.3 PPG on 44.6% shooting from the field, 30.5% from three, and 75.8% from the foul line this season.
Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win
- Illinois has won 21 of its last 22 night games at State Farm Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Iowa has lost seven of its last eight road games.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Illinois’ last 14 games against Conference opponents has produced a total of 169 or fewer points.
- Each of Iowa’s last seven night games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 171 or fewer points.
Iowa vs. Illinois Prediction
I’m backing Illinois here. I am not the biggest fan of Illinois in their current form if I’m being 100% honest, but the Illini here are the better option compared to the alternative. Iowa has been horrendous on the road this season, especially on the defensive end of the floor. I have my concerns about Illinois as well, as word has spread that there’s a sickness going through this team, and it’s why the Illini have looked sluggish in a lot of spots as of late, but I think that Illinois gets through it and takes advantage of a porous Iowa defense. Give me the Illini in this one.