Minnesota (12-11) vs Illinois (15-8)
February 8, 2025 at 06:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Minnesota +8.5 — Over/Under: 143
The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Minnesota Golden Gophers meet Saturday in college basketball action from Williams Arena. Here’s an Illinois vs Minnesota prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Illinois vs Minnesota pick. We will examine:
The Illinois Fighting Illini’s recent form and player performance
The Minnesota Golden Gophers’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Illinois Fighting Illini
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Minnesota Golden Gophers
Recent betting trends in games played between Illinois and Minnesota
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Illinois vs Minnesota game
Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview
Illinois was looking good early on this season, but they’ve faltered lately amid a tough Big Ten schedule. The Illini won 12 of their first 15 outings, taking out Eastern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, Oakland, MD Eastern Shore, Little Rock, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Missouri, Chicago State, Oregon, Washington, and Penn State. Since then it’s been a rocky 3-5 stretch with wins over only Indiana, Northwestern, and Ohio State. Otherwise, Illinois has fallen to USC, Michigan State, Maryland, Nebraska, and Rutgers in that time. The result overall has been a 15-8 record so far through the first 23 games of the season for the Illini.
In the Rutgers matchup on Wednesday, the Illini faced a 37-29 deficit going into the second half. Illinois didn’t end up getting any closer on a 45-44 run from there and took the loss 82-73 in the end. Tops in scoring was Will Riley, who came off the bench for 18 points, six assists, and three boards in 34 minutes of work. Ben Humrichous added 14 points with five rebounds and one assist, while Morez Johnson put up 11 points, five boards, and one assist as the lead starter.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Betting Preview
Over on the Minnesota side, they’ve been on a pretty choppy run for most of the season. The Gophers opened on an 8-5 stretch through their first 13 outings, beating Oral Roberts, Omaha, Yale, Cleveland State, Central Michigan, Bethune-Cookman, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Morgan State in that time. Minnesota has gone 4-6 in their last 10 games. The wins came courtesy of Michigan, Iowa, Oregon, and Penn State. Otherwise, it was losses to Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan State, and Washington in that time, giving the Golden Gophers a 12-11 record through their first 23 outings of the season so far.
Matched up against Penn State in their Tuesday game, the Gophers hit a 25-21 deficit in the first half. Minnesota woke up after the break on a 48-36 run from there and took the eventual win 69-61 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Dawson Garcia with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and one assist in 38 minutes of work. Lu’Cye Patterson added 14 points with seven rebounds three assists and two steals, while Brennan Rigsby had 14 bench points alongside three rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes on the floor.
Why the Minnesota Golden Gophers will win
- The home team has won each of Illinois’ last four games.
- Illinois has lost each of its last three road games against the Big Ten Conference.
- The home team has won the first half in three of Illinois’ last four games.
Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win
- Illinois has won 11 of its last 12 day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Minnesota has lost nine of its last 11 home games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Illinois has won the first half in eight of its last nine day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Illinois’ last 10 day games against Conference opponents has produced a total of 154+ points.
- Four of Minnesota’s last five day games against the Big Ten Conference have produced a total of 144+ points.
Illinois vs Minnesota Prediction
I’m going to lean toward Illinois. Probably not touching this one, though. The Illini really need this game after falling on the road versus a tricky Rutgers squad this week. In that one, Illinois shot a tepid 41.5 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent (6-of-28) from 3-point range, but did rebound pretty well (41). The major Achilles heel for the Illini in that defeat was the 13 turnovers for 18 Scarlet Knights points. Illinois’ last three losses have each come to unranked squads, and they’ve given up 80 or more points in all of them.
Minnesota is going to be another tough squad to deal with—especially on the road. The Gophers have beaten two ranked teams (Michigan and Oregon) during this 4-2 run and won’t have much fear going up against the incoming Illini.