Picks, predictions for Illinois vs. Nebraska on Tuesday, January 10

Here we go with some Big Ten college basketball action, as the Nebraska Cornhuskers will host the Illinois Fighting Illini. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 10 while airing on Big Ten Network.

Let’s take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

Illinois vs. Nebraska odds

Spread: Illinois -3.5
Over/Under: 139
Moneyline: Illinois -1556, Nebraska +135

Illinois (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten) picked up a strong conference win in its last game, beating No. 18 Wisconsin 79-69. There’s a chance that victory will lift up an otherwise topsy-turvy Illinois team that lost two of its previous three games. Illinois picked up key wins over No. 10 Texas and No. 7 UCLA earlier this season, but it also lost as a favorite to Penn State, Missouri, and Northwestern in more recent outings. That begs the question: which Illinois team will show up on Tuesday?

Nebraska (9-7, 2-3 Big Ten) was picked to be one of the bottom teams in the Big Ten this season, but Fred Hoiberg’s crew has impressed at times against solid teams. The Huskers have solid victories over Creighton and Iowa while almost knocking off No. 3 Purdue as well. Most recently, Nebraska defeated Minnesota 81-79 in overtime on Saturday.

The Pick: Illinois -3.5

Nebraska has a great home court advantage, and that’s why the spread is smaller than some people would predict. The Huskers want to play solid defense and slow the game down to give themselves a chance. The Fighting Illini want to run a little more and outscore their opponent. So which strategy will prevail?

This will be a back and forth game throughout, but Illinois should eventually pull away in the final 10 minutes, as it has far more offensive firepower to go on a scoring run and never look back. The Huskers will do everything in their power to keep that from happening, but Illinois has superior talent that should ultimately win out.