The Iowa Hawkeyes (15-12) travel to face off against the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-11) on Tuesday, February 25th. This game will be played at State Farm Center in Champaign and televised on FS1. Iowa is coming off a win in their previous game, while Illinois is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Duke. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET.

Iowa Hawkeyes vs Illinois Fighting Illini

The Hawkeyes Are Coming Off A Win

Iowa improved to 15-12 on the season with an 85-79 win over Washington on Saturday. Despite being favored by 6.5 points, the Hawkeyes didn’t cover the spread. The combined points of 164 went over the pre-game total of 156.

After trailing 34-33 at halftime, Iowa turned things around in the second half, outscoring Washington 52-45 to secure the win.

The Fighting Illini Are Coming Off A Win

Illinois Fighting Illini Recent Game/Games

Illinois dropped to 17-11 on the season after a 110-67 home loss to Duke on Saturday. The Illini were +8.5 point underdogs going into the game, but they failed to cover the spread.

After trailing 54-37 at halftime, Illinois managed just 30 points in the 2nd half while allowing 56. The total points for the game reached 177, surpassing the O/U line of 157.5.

Hawkeyes Offense Breakdown

Iowa put up 85 points in their last game, shooting 47.3% from the field and hitting 47.6% from three-point range (10/21). Their effective field goal percentage was 56.4%, and they were nearly automatic from the free-throw line, making 23 of 26 attempts (88.5%).

Payton Sandfort led the way with 27 points, despite shooting just 38.9% overall and 20.0% from deep. DJ Davis was a standout from beyond the arc, hitting 5 of 8 threes (62.5%) and finishing with 17 points in 20 minutes. Brock Harding contributed 11 points and 5 assists, connecting on 3 of 5 three-point attempts (60.0%).

Fighting Illini Offense Breakdown

Illinois struggled from beyond the arc in their last game, hitting just 2 of 26 attempts for a 7.7% three-point shooting percentage. Overall, they shot 37.7% from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 39.3%. Their two-point shooting was a bright spot, as they connected on 60% of their attempts (21/35).

At the free-throw line, the Illini went 19 for 28, shooting 67.9%. They also grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and dished out 10 assists. Isaiah Evans led the team with 17 points, shooting 5 of 8 from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point range.

Hawkeyes Team Defense

Despite giving up 79 points, Iowa’s defense struggled to contain their opponent, who shot 47% from the field, including 47% from both two-point and three-point range. Iowa allowed 26 field goals on 55 attempts.

The Hawkeyes sent their opponent to the free-throw line 26 times, where they converted 23 free throws for an 88% success rate. Iowa also gave up 9 offensive rebounds.

Fighting Illini Team Defense

Despite Iowa’s defensive efforts, they allowed 79 points on 47% shooting from the field. The opposing team connected on 26 of their 55 attempts.

From beyond the arc, the opposition hit 10 of 21 threes, also at a 47% rate. They were efficient from the line, making 23 of 26 free throws, or 88%.

Hawkeyes vs Fighting Illini Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Iowa has an ATS record of 1-2 while averaging 74 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
• Across the Fighting Illini last ten home games, the team averaged 82 points per game while allowing 78. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 3-7, while going 5-5 straight-up.
• Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Hawkeyes have gone 2-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-2.
• In their last three contests as the favorite, Illinois has a poor record vs the spread going 1-2. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 2-1.

Hawkeyes vs Fighting Illini Prediction

In this Fighting Illini vs. Fighting Illini matchup, our point-spread bet is on the Fighting Illini at -11.5. While we project the Fighting Illini to win 76-71, our recommendation is to bet on the Hawkeyes for the point-spread.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 171.5 and given that our model is projecting 147 points between the teams, we like 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.