Illinois (20-7) vs Minnesota (17-10)
February 28, 2024 at 09:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Illinois -11.5 — Over/Under: 155.5
The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Illinois Fighting Illini meet in college basketball action from the State Farm Center on Wednesday night. Who comes out on top in Wednesday’s college basketball action out of the Big Ten? Let’s dive in and find out with our Minnesota vs. Illinois Prediction.
Minnesota Team Preview
The Minnesota Golden Gophers come into this one looking to bounce back after a 73-55 loss to Nebraska in their last matchup. Dawson Garcia leads the Gophers in scoring and rebounding with 17.3 PPG and 6.6 RPG while Cam Christie has 11.2 PPG with 3.6 RPG and 2.3 APG. Mike Mitchell Jr. has 10.3 PPG with 2.9 APG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Minnesota so far this season. Pharrel Payne has 9.8 PPG with 6.2 RPG while Elijah Hawkins has 9.1 PPG with a team-high 7.3 APG to lead the Gophers in assists this season. As a team, Minnesota is averaging 75.9 PPG on 47% shooting from the field, 35.5% from three and 68.8% from the foul line this season. Minnesota will play against Penn State, Indiana, and Northwestern after this game.
More College Basketball Picks: Arizona vs Arizona State Prediction!
Illinois Team Preview
The Illinois Fighting Illini come into this one looking to build on a 95-85 win over Iowa last time out. Terrence Shannon Jr. leads the Illini with 21.6 PPG and Marcus Domask has 15.3 PPG with 4.7 RPG and a team-high 3.4 APG to lead Illinois in assists while Quincy Guerrier has 10.3 PPG with a team-high 6.9 RPG to lead the Illini in rebounding this season. Coleman Hawkins has 13 PPG with 6 RPG to finish off the scoring in double digits for Illinois this season. As a team, Illinois is averaging 83.8 PPG on 46.6% shooting from the field, 34.5% from three and 74% from the foul line this season.
Minnesota vs. Illinois Prediction
I’m on Minnesota here. I get why Illinois is favored at home, but this is a ton of points to give up to a Minnesota team that’s been able to prove themselves time and time again when it comes to covering point spreads, including point spreads on the road. The Illini have been rolling for much of conference play and home court matters, but look for Minnesota to battle here. Give me the Gophers and the points.