Illinois vs Rutgers Prediction 2/5/25 College Basketball Picks

Rutgers (11-11) vs Illinois (15-7)

Game Info: Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 8:30 pm (Jersey Mike’s Arena)

Betting Odds: Rutgers +8.5 -- Over/Under: 154.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

Where to Watch: BTN

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini meet Wednesday in college basketball action from the Jersey Mike’s Arena. We will take a look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Rutgers vs. Illinois prediction.

Rutgers Recap

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights enter this game looking to get back on track after a 66-63 loss to Michigan in their last game to drop to 11-11 this season. Following this game, Rutgers will go out on the road to take on the Maryland Terrapins.

Scarlet Knights Looking To Rebound After Losing 3 Of Their Last 4

Ace Bailey leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring and rebounding with 20.2 PPG and 7.8 RPG while Dylan Harper has 18.6 PPG with 4.8 RPG and a team-high 4.1 APG to lead the Scarlet Knights in assists as the only other double-digit scorer for Rutgers up to this point in the year. Jeremiah Williams also has 6.5 PPG and Lathan Sommerville has 7.2 PPG with 4.2 RPG. Jordan Derkack also added 7.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.1 APG as well on the year. As a team, Rutgers is averaging 76 PPG on 44.4% shooting from the field, 33.2% from three, and 69.3% from the foul line this season.

Why the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will win

  • Rutgers has won 25 of its last 27 games at Jersey Mike's Arena when playing with a rest advantage.
  • Illinois has lost three of its last four games at Jersey Mike's Arena.

Illinois Recap

The Illinois Fighting Illini come into this game attempting to keep the ball rolling after an 87-79 win over Ohio State in their last game to climb to 15-7 on the year. Following this game, Illinois will take on Minnesota, UCLA, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Duke.

Illinois Alternating Wins And Losses

Kasparas Jakucionis leads the Illini in scoring and assists with 15.6 PPG and 5.5 APG along with 5.7 RPG while Tomislav Ivisic has 12.9 PPG with a team-high 8.6 RPG to lead the Illini in rebounding up to this point in the year. Will Riley has 11 PPG with 3.6 RPG and Kylan Boswell has 12.1 PPG with 5.2 RPG and 3.5 APG to cap off the scoring in double figures for Illinois so far this season. Tre White also has 9.7 PPG with 5.5 RPG and Ben Humrichous has 8.3 PPG as well on the year. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn also has 8 PPG as well this season. As a team, Illinois is averaging 85.3 PPG on 44.4% shooting from the field, 31.1% from three, and 75.2% from the foul line this season.

Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win

  • Illinois has won each of its last 10 games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
  • Rutgers has lost 10 of its last 11 games against AP-ranked opponents.

Total Points Facts

  • Each of Rutgers' last 13 night games against AP-ranked opponents at Jersey Mike's Arena have produced a total of 145 or fewer points.
  • Each of Illinois' last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents at Jersey Mike's Arena have produced a total of 137 or fewer points.

Rutgers vs. Illinois Prediction

I’m on the over in this game. Illinois has been finding themselves in a lot of high-scoring games as of late, and they’re 13-9 to the over so far this season. Rutgers on the other hand isn’t the same Rutgers team of years past under Steve Pikiell where they prioritize defense. The Scarlet Knights have a tendency to play high-scoring games themselves, whether they want to or not, and with a tandem like Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, points are usually not a problem for Rutgers. I’ll roll with the over in an entertaining matchup on Wednesday.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.

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