Oregon (12-1) vs Illinois (9-3)
January 2, 2025 at 10:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Oregon -4.5 / Illinois +4.5 — Over/Under: 156.5
The Illinois Fighting Illini are visiting the Oregon Ducks on Wednesday, January 1st at the Matthew Knight Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Illinois Fighting Illini vs Oregon Ducks Prediction.
Oregon Ducks Preview
The Oregon Ducks have a 12-1 record this season and are coming off an 89-49 win over Weber. The Ducks are 8-5 against the spread, and 6-7 in over/under, while having a 6-1 home record. Oregon is 6-2 against the spread in their last 8 games. Under is 4-2 in their last 6 games.
Offensively, Oregon is averaging 79.5 points per game, which ranks 76th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 65.6 points per game (52nd). The Ducks shoot 46.5% from the field (123rd) and 34.1% from beyond the arc (170th). The Ducks shoot 75% from the free-throw line (78th) and are grabbing 38.5 rebounds per game (85th).
Nathan Bittle leads Oregon in scoring with an average of 13.2 points, adding a team-high 8.5 rebounds, while Jackson Shelstad adds 10.8 points and 3 rebounds.
Illinois Fighting Illini Preview
The Illinois Fighting Illini have a 9-3 record this season and are coming off a 117-67 win over Chicago State. The Fighting Illini are 6-5-1 against the spread, and 6-6 in over/under while having a 0-1 road record. Illinois is 6-2 in their last 8 games but 1-3-1 against the spread. Over is 3-1 in their last 4 games.
Offensively, Illinois is averaging 86.4 points per game, which ranks 18th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 65.6 points per game (51st). The Fighting Illini shoot 44.9% from the field (196th) and 33.4% from beyond the arc (206th). The Fighting Illini shoot 75% from the free-throw line (78th) and are grabbing 45.4 rebounds per game, which is the second-best in the nation.
Kasparas Jakucionis leads Illinois in scoring this season, with an average of 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and a team-high 5.3 assists, while Tomislav Ivisic adds 14.7 points and a team-high 9.3 rebounds. Illinois will play against Washington.
Why the Oregon Ducks will win
- Oregon has won 12 of its last 13 games.
- Illinois has lost seven of its last eight games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
- Oregon has won the first half in each of its last four games.
Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win
- Oregon has lost seven of its last eight night games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Illinois has won five of its last six games against the Big Ten Conference.
- Illinois has won the first half in each of its last nine night games against the Big Ten Conference.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Oregon Ducks Prediction
Oregon has won both previous meetings against Illinois, going for 1-0-1 against the spread. In this Illinois Fighting Illini vs Oregon Ducks Prediction, Oregon is coming as -4 home favorites. Illinois is better offensively, scoring 6.9 points more than Oregon, while both teams allow exactly 65.6 points per game defensively. The Fighting Illini are winning by an average of 20.8 points this season, while the Ducks are winning by 13.9 points. Both teams are tied for the 51st place in the nation defensively, allowing 131.2 points per game combined. The Fighting Illini are below average in both shooting percentages, while the Ducks sit on the bottom half in 3-point percentage. With two top-tier defenses and weak shooting percentages, I don’t expect a lot of points in this game, so I’m taking the under.