Illinois vs St. Francis-PA 12/18/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
St. Francis-Pennsylvania Red Flash (4-5) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3)
December 18, 2021 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: Illinois Fighting Illini / St. Francis-Pennsylvania Red Flash ; Over/Under: -
(Get latest betting odds)
The Saint Francis Red Flash and Illinois Fighting Illini face off on Saturday in a college basketball showdown at the State Farm Center.
Saint Francis comes into this game with a 4-5 record and they have gone 5-3 against the spread. The over is 7-0-1 for Saint Francis this season. In the last game against Hartford, the offense scored 81 points and that was the difference as they cruised to the victory. St. Francis is averaging 78.7 points while their defense is giving up 74.3 points per game. Ramir Dixon-Conover has been the top player for the Red Flash averaging 14.4 points while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from behind the three-point line.
On the other side of this matchup is the Illinois Fighting Illini who sit with a 7-3 record and they have gone 4-6 against the spread. The Fighting Illini have been good for the most part this season but they are coming off a disappointing loss in their last game. The defense gave up 83 points to the Wildcats and that led to the defeat. Illinois is averaging 78 points while their defense is giving up 67.7 points per game. Kofi Cockburn has been the top player for Illinois averaging 21.4 points while shooting 60.2 percent from the field. Alfonso Plummer has also been good averaging 16.7 points while shooting 60.2 percent from the field.
Illinois is 5-1 against the spread in their last six games played on Saturday. Saint Francis is 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall. The over is 7-0-1 in Saint Francis’ last eight road games. The over is 6-0 in Illinois last six games overall. The over is 4-0 in the Red Flashes Last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
All the trends point towards the over, and there will be no shortage of scoring in this game. Illinois is going to get another big game from Cockburn, and Illinois is going to find plenty of success scoring. I also expect Saint Francis will score plenty too, and that will lead to this game staying well over the total.
