Two Big Ten programs, Illinois and Minnesota, will face off at 12:00 p.m. Illinois is 5-1 in the Big Ten and 14-3 overall, while Minnesota is 3-3 in the conference and 10-7 overall. The Fighting Illini are 131-68 against the Golden Gophers. Illinois is on an eight-game winning streak against Minnesota, with the Golden Gophers’ last victory against the Illini coming in January 2019.
Check out my best bet right here for Minnesota vs. Illinois. Illinois is the favorite in this contest at -15.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Minnesota vs. Illinois (12:00 p.m. ET)
Even though Illinois is No. 13 in the latest AP Poll, it is No. 5 on KenPom. They have the third-best offensive rating and the 19th-best defensive rating in the country. Illinois has won six consecutive contests since its third loss of the season against Nebraska on December 13.
At the top, Illinois is a guard-heavy team with Keaton Wagler, Kylan Boswell, and Andrej Stojakovic. Wagler is a freshman and is Illinois’ leading scorer, averaging 16.1 points per contest. David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, and Zvonimir Ivisic make up the Fighting Illini’s frontcourt this season.
Minnesota scores the second fewest points per game (73.1) in the Big Ten, while Illinois averages the third most (85.6) in the conference. Although Minnesota struggles on offense, they still have an elite scorer in Cade Tyson, who averages 21,1 points per contest. The Golden Gophers are much better defensively, allowing only 66.8 points per game, which is the fourth-fewest in the Big Ten. But Illinois is right behind them all, allowing 66.8 points.
Even though the spread of -15.5 seems high, Illinois has covered that number in two of its previous three wins. Four of Illinois’ last six wins have come by at least 16 points. Minnesota only lost to Wisconsin and USC by three and one point, but Illinois is a different caliber of team than they are.
