The Illinois Fighting Illini (21-7) travel to face off against the Wisconsin Badgers (18-10) on Saturday, March 2nd. This game will be played at Kohl Center in Madison and televised on BTN. Illinois is coming off a win in their previous game, while Wisconsin is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Indiana. Tip-off is set for 1:00 ET.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Wisconsin Badgers
The Illinois Fighting Illini Are Coming Off A Win
Illinois enters this game as a 2.5-point underdog, and they have gone 2-3 in their five games as the underdog this season. They come in with a 21-7 overall record, including a 12-5 mark in Big Ten play.
On the road, the Fighting Illini have gone 5-5 this season, and their average scoring margin in those games is +4.8. Over their last 10 road games, they have gone 5-5.
Against the spread, Illinois has a record of 14-12-2 this season. On the road, the Fighting Illini have gone 6-3-1 vs. the spread. As the underdog, Illinois is 3-1-1 vs. the spread this year. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Illini have an ATS record of 7-2-1.
Today’s over/under line of 155.5 is higher than the average over/under line of 148.5 in Illinois’ games this season. In their last three games, the average scoring total is 186 points, and over their last 10 games, the over/under record is 9-1.
The Wisconsin Badgers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Wisconsin is 15-2 at home this season, and they will be looking to bounce back from a 74-70 loss to Indiana in their last game. Over their last 10 games at home, the Badgers are 9-1.
So far, Wisconsin has been favored in 19 of their 28 games, going 14-5 in those contests. Overall, they have a record of 18-10, including a 10-7 mark in Big Ten action.
Wisconsin has an overall ATS record of 11-17 this season, including a mark of 9-8 at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Badgers are just 2-8 vs. the spread. Their ATS mark at home this year is 5-5 and they have gone 0-3 vs. the spread in their last three home games.
Wisconsin’s over/under record this season is 16-10-2 and the average scoring total in their games is 143 points. Today’s over/under line of 155.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (138.3). So far, 22 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 3-0 with an average scoring total of 153 points.
Illinois Offense Breakdown
Illinois finished with 105 points in their game against Minnesota. This total surpasses their season-average of 84.5 points per game. The top scorer for the Fighting Illini was Terrence Shannon Jr. with 29 points, while Marcus Domask also chipped in with 22 points.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrence Shannon Jr. (G) | 21.9 | 4.4 | 2.2 |
| Marcus Domask (F) | 15.5 | 4.8 | 3.5 |
| Coleman Hawkins (F) | 13.3 | 5.8 | 2.8 |
Wisconsin Offense Breakdown
In their latest game, Wisconsin offense put up 70 points against Indiana. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 43.5% and made 8 threes. The top scorer for the Badgers was Chucky Hepburn with 15 points, while AJ Storr also added 14 to the scoreboard.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| AJ Storr (G) | 16.2 | 3.8 | 0.9 |
| Tyler Wahl (F) | 11.5 | 5.7 | 1.7 |
| Steven Crowl (F) | 11.2 | 7.7 | 2.1 |
Illinois Team Defense
On defense, Illinois is currently around the NCAA average in points allowed, giving up an average of 72.9 points per game. In today’s game vs. Wisconsin, the Illinois defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, Illinois made 19 free-throws vs. the Fighting Illini.
Wisconsin Team Defense
The Badgers’ defense is presently ranked 90th nationally, allowing an average of 68.9 points per contest. The Wisconsin defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 74 points and allowed Indiana to connect on 6 threes.
Fighting Illini vs Badgers Trends
- Across their five previous road games, Illinois has an ATS mark of 2-3. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-3 while averaging 86 points per game.
- Although Wisconsin has a straight up record of 0-3 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 0-3. The team averaged 70 points per game in these games.
- As the betting underdog, the Fighting Illini have an ATS mark of just 1-1-1 in their last three games. Illinois posted a straight up mark of 0-3 in these matchups.
- Spanning across their last five games as the betting favorite, the Badgers have gone 0-5 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 2-3.
Fighting Illini vs Badgers Prediction
The Badgers is our pick to not only win with a projected score of 76-68. But we also favor them to cover the spread. Our bet is on the Badgers at -2.5.
As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 155.5, and our model projects the Fighting Illini and Badgers to reach a combined total of 144 points. Our bet is on taking the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* 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.
Last updated:March 2, 2024 Illinois Fighting Illini, Wisconsin Badgers