Illinois Fighting Illini (22-8) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (18-12)
March 10, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Iowa Hawkeyes +1.5; Over/Under: +170.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in College Basketball action on Sunday in Iowa. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the top bets for this game. We will look at:
- The Illinois recent form and recent player performance
- The Iowa recent form and recent play performance
- Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Illinois
- Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Iowa
- Recent betting trends in games played between Illinois and Iowa
- A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for Today’s Game between Illinois and Iowa
Illinois Preview
The Illinois Fighting Illini are 22-8 (13-6) this season after they lost to Purdue by a score of 77-71 in their last game. Illinois led 40-34 at halftime, but they were out scored 43-31 in the second half for the loss. The Fighting Illini shot 45.5% from the field and were -2 in rebounding margin in the game. Illinois had won their previous three games against Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. The Fighting Illini are scoring 84.3 points per game with 41.1 rebounds per game and 13 assists per game, while allowing 73.3 points against per game this year. Terrence Shannon Jr. is averaging 21.5 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, and 2.2 assists per game. Illinois is shooting 47.2% from the field, 74.5% on free throws, and 35.1% on three pointers this season.
Iowa Preview
The Iowa Hawkeyes are 18-12 (10-9) this year after they defeated Northwestern by a score of 87-80 in their last game. Iowa trailed 37-36 at the half, but they out scored Northwestern 51-43 in the second half for the win. The Hawkeyes shot 55% from the field and they made 10 three pointers in the game. Iowa defeated Penn State by a score of 90-81 in the game prior to Northwestern, but they lost to Illinois before that. The Fighting Illini are scoring 83.8 points per game with 35.5 rebounds per game and 17.8 assists per game, while giving up 78.8 points against per game this season. Payton Sandfort is averaging 16 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and 2.8 assists per game. Iowa is shooting 48.1% from the field, 78.7% on free throws, and 34.6% on three pointers this year.
Illinois vs Iowa Betting Prediction
Iowa comes into this game on the NCAA Tournament bubble and they could really use a big home win here. The Hawkeyes have played very well recently, but did lose to Illinois 95-85 on February 24th. Illinois has won three of their last four games and they are locked into the #2 seed for the Big Ten Tournament. Both of these teams are very good offensively, but Iowa has struggled on defense, allowing 78.8 points against per game this season. This should be a great game and I think Iowa’s desperation plus the home court advantage will be enough for the Hawkeyes here.
