In today’s Big Ten college basketball matchup, the Michigan State Spartans are taking on the Illinois Fighting Illini at the State Farm Center. Let’s take a look at the top college basketball betting picks and betting trends, then give our Michigan State vs Illinois prediction for the game today.
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Michigan State vs Illinois Game Info
No. 10 Michigan State Spartans (15-3, 6-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini (13-5, 6-2 Big Ten)
Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Time: 7 PM ET
Venue: State Farm Center — Champaign, IL
Coverage: ESPN
Michigan State vs Illinois College Basketball Betting Picks and Odds
All Michigan State vs Illinois college basketball betting odds can be found at BetOnline
Moneyline: MSU: (+195) | ILL: (-225)
Point Spread: MSU: +5.5 (-110) | ILL: -5.5 (-110)
Total: 142.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Michigan State vs Illinois Preview
This Michigan State vs Illinois college basketball game will have a massive impact on the Big Ten standings. Michigan State is currently in first but only leads Wisconsin and Illinois by a half-game. On the road, the Spartans are underdogs.
Michigan State rebounded nicely from an embarrassing home loss to Northwestern by dismantling then #8 Wisconsin in Madison 86-74. The Spartans have been tested this season, but Wisconsin was their first true Big Ten test. While it was a great win for the Spartans, they will have to do it again to stay atop the conference. This team is as deep as it gets in the Big Ten and are true Final Four contenders. Michigan State proves a tough out for anybody with a solid defense and incredibly balanced offensive attack.
Illinois has been an incredibly inconsistent team this season. At times, they have looked unstoppable and capable of hanging with the best of the best as seen in a four-point loss to the now #3 Arizona Wildcats. Lately, however, they have looked very beatable with their most recent loss coming at Maryland by 16 points. The Spartans are a tough team to break a two-game losing streak against, but the home crowd should have them ready to go from tipoff.
Michigan State vs Illinois Betting Trends
- Michigan State is 2-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last 6 games.
- The total has hit the OVER in seven of Michigan State’s last 9 games.
- Michigan State is 5-1 straight up in their last 6 games against Illinois.
- Illinois is 8-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last 12 games.
- The OVER is 11-3 in Illinois’ last 14 games.
Michigan State vs Illinois Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
If Saturday’s game against Wisconsin told us anything, it’s that Michigan State has the best chance at the moment to win the Big Ten. With that said, they have to come off of a near-flawless performance in another hostile environment against a solid team. Michigan State is certainly good enough to win this game, but there would seem to be some regression from their last game in Madison.
Illinois has struggled as of late. Although an eight-point loss to Purdue isn’t anything to be ashamed of, a 16-point loss to Maryland is. With that in mind, Illinois was without their best player in Kofi Cockburn who was out due to a concussion suffered in Illinois’ loss to Purdue. Illinois’ offense became stagnant against Maryland and quite simply, their shots weren’t falling. Expect to see their shots start to fall again tonight.
Our Michigan State vs Illinois prediction tonight will be Michigan State COVERS at BetOnline.
These two teams come into the game off of completely different results. When in doubt, however, I always like to stick with what I know. What we know in this game is that Tom Izzo is going to have the Spartans ready no matter the circumstances. While the Spartans may not win the game, they will certainly cover.
Illinois guard Alfonso Plummer will be the X-factor for this game. If he can get find his groove offensively, so will the rest of the Illinois offense. For what it’s worth, the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives Illinois a 79.3% chance to win.
All college basketball betting lines were retrieved from BetOnline. Click below to claim a free bet, if you’re a new customer.
