The Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3) travel to face off against the Missouri Tigers (10-1) on Sunday, December 22nd. This game will be played at Enterprise Center in St. Louis and televised on ESPN. Missouri is coming off a win in their previous game, while Illinois is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Tennessee. Tip-off is set for 1:00 ET.

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Missouri Tigers

The Fighting Illini Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Illinois fell to 7-3 on the season after a narrow 66-64 loss to Tennessee on Saturday, December 14th. The Illini were +2 point underdogs going into the game, and the final score resulted in a push against the spread.

Illinois trailed 31-30 at halftime and were outscored 35-34 in the 2nd half. The game’s total points of 130 fell well short of the 148.5 O/U line.

The Tigers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Missouri improved to 10-1 on the season with an 83-72 win over Jacksonville State on Tuesday. The Tigers were -16.5 point favorites heading into the game, but they didn’t cover the spread. The combined points of 155 went over the pre-game O/U line of 145.5.

After leading 41-40 at halftime, Missouri tightened up defensively in the 2nd half, holding the Gamecocks to 32 points while scoring 42 themselves.

Fighting Illini Offense Breakdown

Illinois struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 29.4% from the field and 17.4% from three-point range, hitting only 4 of 23 attempts from deep. Their effective field goal percentage was 33.3%, but they managed to score 64 points thanks in large part to their free-throw shooting, where they hit 30 of 36 attempts for 83.3%.

Jordan Gainey led the way with 23 points, shooting 50% from three (3/6) and 42.9% overall. Kasparas Jakucionis added 22 points, despite shooting just 33.3% overall and 28.6% from beyond the arc. The Illini finished with just 6 assists and 12 offensive rebounds in the game.

Tigers Offense Breakdown

Missouri put up 83 points in their latest game, shooting 49.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 59.6%. They connected on 12 of 25 three-point attempts, hitting 48% from deep, and went 15 of 22 from the free-throw line, shooting 68.2%.

Jacob Crews led the way with 19 points, hitting 6 of 9 threes, while Mark Mitchell and Jaron Pierre Jr. each added 18 points. Mitchell also contributed 6 assists and 6 rebounds, and Pierre pulled down 9 boards.

Fighting Illini Team Defense

Illinois put on a defensive clinic, holding their opponent to just 66 points on 29% shooting from the field. They were particularly effective at defending the three-point line, where their opponent shot only 17% (4/23).

Even though they sent their opponent to the free-throw line 36 times, Illinois limited the damage by allowing 30 made free throws. They also gave up 12 offensive rebounds.

Tigers Team Defense

Illinois put on a defensive clinic, holding their opponent to just 66 points on 29% shooting from the field. They were particularly effective at defending the three-point line, where they limited the opposition to just 4 made threes on 23 attempts, a 17% success rate.

Inside the arc, Illinois allowed 11 two-point field goals on 28 attempts, with their opponent shooting 39%. The Illini sent the other team to the free-throw line 36 times, where they converted 30 free throws, shooting 83%. Illinois also gave up 12 offensive rebounds.

Fighting Illini vs Tigers Trends

• Illinois has played well in their previous 5 road games, going 3-2 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 70 points per game while allowing 72. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
• When looking at their past ten home matchups, Missouri has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 69 per game. The team went 0-10 overall in these games.
• Going back to their last five games as the underdog, the Tigers have a straight up record of 1-4. But, their mark vs the spread was just 2-3.
• In their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Fighting Illini have a straight up record of 9-1 and an ATS mark of 7-3.

Fighting Illini vs Tigers Prediction

As the underdogs with a spread of +3.5, we recommend going with the Tigers on the point spread. We not only see them covering the spread but also have a strong likelihood of winning this one outright, especially if you’re seeking a higher payout on the moneyline.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 155.5, and our model predicts the Fighting Illini and Tigers to score a combined 146 points. We recommend betting on the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.