Wisconsin vs Illinois Game Information

Wisconsin vs Illinois Preview

No. 11 Wisconsin (8-2, 0-1 in Big Ten) faces No. 19 Illinois (6-2, 0-1 in Big Ten) in this second Big Ten Conference game for both schools after both lost their openers. The Badgers fell to Michigan (67-64)—and also lost to Marquette in their last game (88-74)—while the Fighting Illini lost at Northwestern, their third straight setback at Evanston to the Purple Cats as a Road Favorite. Wisconsin started the season off with 8 straight wins while the Illini won its first 3. Last season the Badgers finished 11-9 in Big Ten Conference play (22-14 overall) while Illinois went 14-6 and 29-9 overall. Wisconsin was upset by James madison in the 2024 NCAA Tournament by No. 12-seed James Madison (72-61) in the South Regional while Illinois won its first three games in the Big Dance, beating Morehead State, Duquesne, and Iowa State before being eliminated by eventual national champions Connecticut in the Elite Eight (77-52) in the East Regional.

Can Wisconsin Snap Long Streak to the Illini?

No. 11 Wisconsin (4-5-1 ATS, 8-2-0 O/U) has been owned by Illinois heading into this one, and the fact that this will be played in Champaign and that the Fighting Illini will be coming off a loss don’t help. The Badgers had played in 7 straight Overs before Chicago State slowed the pace down with Wisconsin. Before caging the lowly Cougars, the Badgers defeated RGV (87-84), UCF (86-70), Pitt (81-75), Appalachian State (87-58), and Arizona (103-88). The Badgers are averaging 82.0 ppg (Tied-#61) and allowing 70.9 ppg heading to this showdown. Wisconsin is led by G John Tonje (21.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg), G John Blackwell (15.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg), G Max Kiesmit (12.2 ppg), F Nolan Winter (9.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg), F Steven Crowl (7.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg), and G Kamari McGee (6.7 ppg).

Wisconsin Betting Trends

• Wisconsin is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games overall
• The Under is 2-1-0 in the last 3 Badgers games
• The Badgers are 0-3 ATS in their last 3 games
• The Over is 8-2 in Wisconsin’s last 10 games
• Wisconsin is 89-118 SU lifetime vs Illinois
• The Badgers are 28-71 SU all-time vs Illinois in Champaign

No. 19 Illinois Has Dominated the Badgers Lately

Illinois (5-3-0 ATS, 3-5-0 O/U) boasts a very deep and talented roster with C Tomislav Ivisic (16.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg), F Will Riley (15.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg), G Kasparas Jakucionis (14.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.1 apg), F Ben Humrichous (9.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg), G Kylan Boswell (9.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.4 apg), G Tre White (7.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg), G Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (6.4 ppg), and F Morez Johnson Jr. (5.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg). The Fighting Illini did lose superstar Terrance Shannon Jr. to the NBA Draft (Minnesota Timberwolves) but Illinois just reloaded and looks to get back to the elite eight again somehow. Heading in here, the Fighting Illini rank No. 6 in the nation in Scoring Margin (+23 ppg), behind No. 1 Maryland (+27 ppg), No. 2 Tennessee (+26 ppg), No. 3 UCLA (+25 ppg), No. 4 Missouri (+24 ppg), and No. 5 Cincinnati (+24 ppg).

Illinois Betting Trends

• Illinois is 3-1 SU/ATS in its last 4 overall
• The Fighting Illini are 7-3-0 ATS their last 10 games
• The Under is 7-3 in Illinois last 10 games overall
• Illinois is 9-0 ATS in the last 9 series meetings
• The Fighting Illini are 8-0 SU in the last 8 series meetings

Wisconsin vs Illinois Prediction

These strong Trends and Streaks the Fighting Illini have vs the Badgers simply can’t be ignored. And besides the Side trends that favor the hosts here, the Over is also 5-1 in the last 6 meetings. With Illinois having won 8 straight times against Wisconsin and covering ATS an amazing 9 consecutive, this Wisconsin vs Illinois NCAAB pick will simply keep riding the orange horse in the direction he is going. The Fighting Illini have been favored in 4 of the last 5 in Champaign—all in a range of 2 to 7 points—and they have won by 12, 15, 13, 10, and 6 last season on St. Patrick’s Day. My work is done here. Until the Badgers can beat and/or cover vs. Illinois, the idea would be to bet the Fighting Illini, although Wisconsin is better this year. Remember that when the two teams meet again at the Kohl Center in Madison on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 (FS1, 8:30 EST/5:30 PST).

Kevin’s Pick: Illinois -5.5