Illinois will host the No.20 Wisconsin Badgers in a Big Ten showdown at the State Farm Center. The Fighting Illini are the -6.5 betting favorite to win with the best college basketball betting sites. Read on for more information about the match and to find out who we say will win in our latest NCAAB betting picks.
- What: 2024/25 Men’s College Basketball
- Who: Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Wisconsin Badgers
- Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
- When: Tuesday, December 10th, 2024
- Tip-Off: 9 pm. ET
Both Illinois and Wisconsin lost their opening Big Ten conference matches.
The Fighting Illini went down to a 70-66 overtime defeat to Northwestern. They now have an overall record of 6-2 and a Big Ten record of 0-1.
The Wisconsin Badgers lost 67-64 to Big Ten conference table-topping Michigan last week. They followed that up with an 88-74 non-conference loss to Marquette.
Overall this season, Wisconsin is 8-2. Like the Fighting Illini, the Badgers are 0-1 in conference play.
As a result of the losses, Illinois dropped out of the top 25 when the AP rankings were announced on Monday, they had been No.19.
Wisconsin also plummeted down the rankings. They dropped nine places from No.11 to No.20. Neither side can really afford to lose this game at this early stage of the season.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Wisconsin Badgers Betting
On a positive note, the Fighting Illini are 5-0 in home games. This is recognized by the best NCAAB betting sites. The Fighting Illini are -285 on the money line, with the Badgers at +230.
Wisconsin is receiving a 6.5-point start on the spread. To win with the spread, the Badgers are -110. The Fighting Illini are -110 to win and cover the spread.
The total line is set at 154. Over and under are both -110.
Check out our Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Wisconsin Badgers NCAAB betting lines on our college basketball betting table. Our NCAAB odds are from the best college basketball betting sites.
| Illinois vs. Wisconsin |  |
 |
 |
| Illinois | -285 | -285 | -285 |
| Wisconsin | +230 | +230 | +230 |
| Illinois (-6.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Wisconsin (+6.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 154 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 154 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Illinois Fighting Illini
Head coach Brad Underwood is into his eighth season in charge of the Fighting Illini. Last season Underwood led the team all the way to the Elite Eight, where they went out to eventual winners the UConn Huskies (77-52).
On the surface, it sounded like a solid season. But the exit at the hands of the Huskies was a bitter blow. The loss itself wasn’t so much the problem, more the manner of the defeat.
Seeded at No.3, the Fighting Illinois were outplayed. Losing 77-52 to the eventual Championship match winners. A 25-point losing margin was huge.
The current season started well with three successive wins. That streak came to an abrupt halt when the Alabama Crimson Tide recorded a 13-point win over the Fighting Illini (100-87).
Underhill’s team did bounce back with routine wins over MD Eastern (87-40) and Little Rock (92-34). And there was better still to come with the Fighting Illini next recording a 90-77 win over Arkansas.
But the recovery was brief. In their next and most recent match, Illinois went down 70-66 to North Eastern.
Illinois is the +700 fifth favorite to win the Big Ten. Michigan leads the betting at +400, just ahead of Purdue (+500), UCLA (+550), and Michigan State (+600).
The Fighting Illini are +1200 to reach the Final Four and +5000 to win the 2025 NCAAB Championship.
Wisconsin Badgers
The No.5 seeded Badgers went out of the 2024 NCAA Tournament disappointingly, losing 72-61 to James Madison.
The defeat marked the fifth occasion in the last seven seasons that head coach Greg Gard had failed to get past the opening round. The 2nd round is the best he has achieved with the Badgers since taking them to the Sweet Sixteen stage in consecutive seasons in 2015/16 and 2016/17.
The current season started impressively for Gard. He led his team to eight successive wins. But with going well and confidence riding high, the Badgers lost their opening Big Ten match by three points to Michigan (67-64).
Further disappointment followed with the Badgers losing 88-74 to Marquette over the weekend.
Wisconsin is the tenth favorite in the latest betting to win the Big Ten at +2200. The Badgers are available at +2500 to reach the Final Four and +10000 to win the 2025 National Championship.
Illinois vs. Wisconsin Betting Picks
We expect Brad Underhill’s Fighting Illini to win this match. But at odds of -285, Illinois is probably just too short to wager on the money line.
The Badgers did push Michigan all the way in their opening Big Ten fixture. But despite this, we still see Illinois having too much for them.
The Fighting Illini have Kasparas Jakucionis in good form, he is fresh from scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Northwestern. Tomislav Ivisic is also doing well this season, averaging 16.1 points per game. Ivisic also chipped in with 15 points and 12 rebounds against the Wildcats.
Throw in their impressive home form, and the only pick we can make is a win for Illinois on the spread.
See below our list of the best offshore sportsbooks for US bettors in 2024 and choose the one that suits you best:
The post Illinois set to extend home winning run when they face Wisconsin appeared first on My Top Sportsbooks.
