The Illinois Fighting Illini and the UConn Huskies meet Friday in college basketball action from Madison Square Garden. Here’s a UConn vs Illinois prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UConn vs Illinois pick.
Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview
Illinois has seven games in the bag so far this year. Out of those, the Illini only have one blemish on the card. After a blowout opener win versus Jackson State, Illinois blew past Florida Gulf Coast. A win over a very good Texas Tech team came in game four, then came the Illini’s first loss of the season by four points versus Alabama. Illinois would bounce back with double-digit wins in their next pair, taking out Long Island University and UT Rio Grande Valley in those two outings. That gives the Illini a 6-1 record so far this season.
Back on Monday versus UT Rio Grande Valley, the Illini held an 11-point edge at halftime. Illinois kept it going on a 45-42 run from there and took the eventual win 87-73 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Andrej Stojakovic with 24 points and six boards. Mihailo Petrovic added 12 points with four assists, and Tomislav Ivisic had 10 points with five boards and four assists in the winning effort for the Illini.
UConn Huskies Betting Preview
Over on the UConn side, they’ve similarly got just one loss on the card this year—and similarly it’s a four-point loss to a top-ranked team. The Huskies opened up the year with four straight wins though, taking out New Haven, UMass Lowell, Columbia and BYU in that quartet of outings. UConn’s first loss came on November 19 versus Arizona by a score of 71-67, but the Huskies would bounce back on a blowout win over Bryant this past weekend. In total UConn has managed a 5-1 record through their first half-dozen outings.
Matched up against Bryant on Sunday, the Huskies jumped out to a dominant 37-21 first-half lead. UConn closed with a 35-28 run in the second and took the eventual win easily 72-49. Topping the scorers was Eric Reibe with 16 points and six boards. Silas Demary notched a nice triple-double in the win, with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 30 minutes of work on the court for the Huskies.
Connecticut Huskies @ Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends: November 28, 2025
Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win
- Illinois has won each of its last 21 Friday games against non-Conference opponents.
- Connecticut has lost 23 of its last 26 day games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Illinois has won the first half in each of its last seven games.
Why the Connecticut Huskies will win
- Connecticut has won 14 of its last 15 games against AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
- Illinois has lost seven of its last eight games against Top 5 AP-ranked opponents.
- Connecticut has won the first half in 14 of its last 15 games against AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Connecticut’s last seven games against the Big Ten Conference Conference have produced a total of 135 or fewer points.
- Each of Illinois’ last seven games against non-Conference opponents at neutral venues have produced a total of 157+ points.
UConn vs Illinois Prediction
I’m going to stay with UConn. You could probably make a case either way, though; this should be a competitive matchup and a good one to watch. That said, the Huskies had very few issues in their last outing versus Bryant, despite shooting a tepid 39.1 percent from the field and 20 percent (5-of-25) from outside. UConn had just eight turnovers though, and owned the boards 37-21. The most impressive stat however, was the 40-8 edge on points in the paint. UConn hasn’t had much trouble scoring so far this year; they’ve got 72 or more points in all five of their wins. If the Huskies can at least get up in the mid-70s here, they’ll be in good shape.
As for Illinois, they blew past UTRGV in their latest outing with 50 percent shooting, 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the line and 42 rebounds. The Illini were great up front as well with a 44-28 advantage in the paint. That makes 81 or more points in all seven games for the Illini so far. Friday’s game will likely be a high-flying matchup as well.