Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Iowa Hawkeyes College Basketball prediction, preview
Before the three-game NFL Wild Card slate kicks off on Sunday, we get a pretty good matchup on the hardwood in the Big Ten at 12pm ET. Both teams have records of 12-3 and rank in the top-20 nationally. These are also the two best teams in the conference at covering the number, with Iowa 11-4 ATS on the season, and Illinois 9-6 ATS. Both teams have an average win margin of more than 19 points per game. W
Illinois is riding a four-game winning streak, and while the Illini are 2-0 in true road games, this one will be a tough task. The Hawkeyes are a perfect 9-0 at home, including 7-2 ATS. After coasting to a win over UCLA at home last weekend, Iowa went on the road during the week and was upset by Minnesota. That sets up a nice bounce-back spot off a loss for the Hawkeyes to lock in at home.
While the matchups have come against lesser competition in comparison to Illinois, Iowa has been razor sharp off a loss this season — 2-0 SU/ATS with a win margin of 29.5 points (covering by 11.5 PPG). One of those games did come in the conference with a 19-point victory over Maryland.
Both of these teams rank just about even on the defensive side of the ball, per KenPom. Illinois has the offensive edge, but the question will become if the Illini’s offense will travel into a difficult road environment. Illinois has averaged just shy of 92 points in home games, but drop to 79 points in true road games. The Hawkeyes have fallen off a cliff offensively when playing away from home (62.8 PPG), but have been on a different level at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (88.3 PPG).
I expect Iowa to match the Illini offensively, and home court to play a massive role in this game. These Sunday noon tips are generally kind to the home team, so I’ll back the Hawkeyes to get the big conference win.
