Top-10 teams face off on Friday night in the Big Ten, as the No. 9 Fighting Illini head south to take on No. 1-ranked Purdue.
Purdue has lived up to the hype and then some this season. The Boilermakers are 13-1 and boast wins over Gonzaga (73-63), Tennessee (71-67), Marquette (78-75) and Alabama (92-86). Their only loss was an upset to Northwestern in a game where the Wildcats got hot and caught Purdue on an off night.
The Boilermakers have won six in a row since that loss while covering the spread in five out of six. Illinois has won both games and covered the spread easily since the suspension of leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr., who was charged with rape and is suspended indefinitely.
This game should be very high scoring as Purdue has hit the OVER in nine of their 14 contests, and Illinois has hit the OVER in five of their last six.
Here are the live odds for Friday’s matchup between Illinois and Purdue — the must-watch hoops action tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage on Fox Sports 1. We’ll dive into the betting news for the Illinois Fighting Illini and Purdue Boilermakers, player props from Caesars Sportsbook and a betting prediction for tonight’s big game.
Live odds for Illinois vs. Purdue
Take a look at live odds for Illinois vs. Purdue with spread, moneyline and total points markets at the top online sportsbooks.
More college hoops betting: Best College Basketball Betting Sites & Apps | College Basketball Odds: NCAAB Betting Lines, Spreads and Futures
Illinois Fighting Illini betting news
For Illinois, it is still a whole new world playing without Shannon, who was averaging 21.7 PPG, ranking top-10 in the nation at the time of his suspension. Illinois has looked good in two games with their current rotation, but wins against Fairleigh Dickinson and Northwestern are far from the type of opponent the Illini will face in Purdue. Still, Illini are uniquely equipped to make life difficult on Purdue with their height and length.
Illinois’ starting lineup does not have a player under 6-foot-6, and the two players who will come off the bench are 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-9. Even if a team has a 7-foot tall center, they are undersized against Zach Edey and Purdue, so having a ton of perimeter length to double down is the most effective way to try and limit the reigning National Player of the Year.
Purdue Boilermakers betting news
Purdue had so many interesting storylines coming into the season. First, they were a top-five team going into last season’s tournament and brought back almost everyone this year. Yet their loss as a No. 1 seed was embarrassing, and losses to high seeds have been frequent for the program in recent years.
It is hard to ignore all the returning talent, though, and if anything they have improved with the addition of Lance Jones (10.8 PPG), a grad transfer averaging double figures for the Boilermakers. It all centers around reigning National Player of the Year and the odds favorite to repeat Zach Edey, who, after a historically good season, has gotten even better this year.
Edey is fourth in the country in scoring at 23.1 per game and does it on elite efficiency, shooting 62.4% from the floor. The big man has also improved his free throw shooting up to 76.7%, making a hack-a-Shaq method unuseful. Purdue’s second- and third-leading scorers from last season, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith, have made significant gains. Each has increased his scoring, and the team overall is deeper this season with a rotation of 10 players averaging over 10 minutes a game.
Illinois vs. Purdue player props at Caesars Sportsbook
If you are looking for some excellent value player props for college hoops, Caesars Sportsbook has you covered. Here are a few of our favorite player prop markets for Friday night’s primetime Big Ten action.
Zach Edey prop bets
23.5 points OVER (-113) / UNDER (-129)2.5 assists OVER (+127) / UNDER (-188)11.5 rebounds OVER (-113) / UNDER (-129)
Braden Smith prop bets
12.5 points OVER (-127) / UNDER (-115)5.5 assists OVER (-164) / UNDER (+111)4.5 rebounds OVER (-149) / UNDER (+102)1.5 threes made OVER (+151) / UNDER (-228)
Fletcher Loyer prop bets
11.5 points OVER (-123) / UNDER (-119)2.5 assists OVER (+108) / UNDER (-158)2.5 rebounds OVER (-133) / UNDER (-110)1.5 threes made OVER (+100) / UNDER (-146)
Marcus Domask prop bets
14.5 points OVER (-111) / UNDER (-131)2.5 assists OVER (-131) / UNDER (-111)4.5 rebounds OVER (-129) / UNDER (-113)1.5 threes made OVER (-121) / UNDER (-121)
Coleman Hawkins prop bets
12.5 points OVER (-131) / UNDER (-111)2.5 assists OVER (-137) / UNDER (-107)4.5 rebounds OVER (-158) / UNDER (+108)1.5 threes made OVER (-111) / UNDER (-131)
Quincy Guerrier prop bets
11.5 points OVER (-123) / UNDER (-119)0.5 assists OVER (+104) / UNDER (-152)6.5 rebounds OVER (+102) / UNDER (-149)
Illinois vs. Purdue prediction: Purdue protects home court in a close win over Illinois
If Terrance Shannon Jr was playing, this game could be an upset watch for Purdue, but it is tough to think the Illini can pull the upset tonight without him. They still have a lot of firepower, and players have stepped up in his absence, like Marcus Domask, who had 32 against Northwestern.
The key here: Illinois’ short, eight-man rotation is now down to seven, while Purdue goes 10 deep. Illinois may even have a second-half lead at some point, but late in the game, Purdue wears them down for a close win — just not by double digits.
Pick: Illinois
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