Penn State vs Illinois Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 2/14/23
Illinois Fighting Illini (17-7) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (14-11)
February 14, 2023 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Penn State Nittany Lions +1.5 / Illinois Fighting Illini -1.5; Over/Under: -
(Get latest betting odds)
The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Penn State Nittany Lions meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Bryce Jordan Center. Illinois is currently 17-7 overall. The Illini posted an upset win over Rutgers on Saturday. As for Penn State, they’re sitting at 14-11 on the season after a loss to Maryland in their last outing. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois has been a pretty good team for most of the year. The Illini started out on an 11-5 run, and since then they’re 6-2. The wins in that time have come over Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Rutgers.
In the Rutgers matchup on Saturday, Illinois took a 34-30 deficit into the locker room. The Illini stormed back on a 39-26 second-half run and took the win 69-60. Coleman Hawkins led the team on 18 points and eight rebounds.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Over on the Penn State side, they got off to a pretty solid 12-6 start over their first 18 games. The Lions are just 2-5 in the last seven however, losing to Rutgers, Purdue, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Maryland in that time.
Matched up against Maryland on Saturday, the Lions trailed 31-28 going into the second half. Penn State didn’t get any closer on a 43-40 deficit from there and lost 74-68. Kanye Clary was the leading team scorer with 17 points.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I may take a stab on Illinois here. Probably not touching it, though; it’s tough to know what will happen in this one. The Illini are fresh off a great game versus a talented Rutgers team and they’ve now won four of their last five outings. Illinois is scoring pretty well also with 69 or more points in four of those five. These teams last met way back on December 10 in a 74-59 Penn State victory at State Farm Center. The Illini were on their heels for most of that matchup, so there’s a revenge factor at play here. Should be a great game regardless, but I’m leaning slightly toward the Illini.
