Illinois vs Purdue Prediction 1/24/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Purdue Boilermakers meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Mackey 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. Purdue Boilermakers prediction.

Illinois Fighting Illini Recap

The Illinois Fighting Illini come into this game looking to add on to their 89-70 win over Maryland last time out to sit at 16-3 this season. After this game, Illinois will head home for a game against Washington.

Illini Win 8 In A Row

Keaton Wagler leads the Illini in scoring with 15.7 PPG along with 5.1 RPG and 3.3 APG while Andrej Stojakovic has 15.5 PPG with 4 RPG. Kylan Boswell has 15.3 PPG with 4.2 RPG and a team-high 3.4 APG to lead the Illini in assists and David Mirkovic has 13.3 PPG with a team-high 8.5 RPG to lead the Illini in rebounding as well this season. Tomislav Ivisic has 10.4 PPG with 4.8 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Illinois up to this point in the year. Zvonimir Ivisic also has 7.9 PPG and 5.6 RPG as well this season. As a team, Illinois is averaging 88.1 PPG on 48.1% shooting from the field, 35% from three and 78.4% from the foul line this season.

Purdue Boilermakers Recap

The Purdue Boilermakers come into this game looking to bounce back from a 69-67 loss at the hands of UCLA last time out to sit at 17-2 this season. After this game, Purdue will head on the road for a game against Indiana.

Boilermakers Have Win Streak Snapped

Braden Smith leads the Boilermakers in scoring and assists wtih 14.7 PPG and 9.4 APG along with 3.7 RPG while Fletcher Loyer has 13.4 PPG with 2.3 RPG and Trey Kaufman-Renn has 12.7 PPG with a team-high 9.1 RPG to lead the Boilermakers in rebounding along with 2.6 APG. Oscar Cluff has 12.2 PPG with 8.2 RPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Purdue so far this season. As a team, Purdue is averaging 85.1 PPG on 51.3% shooting from the field, 39.2% from three and 74.5% from the foul line this season.

Illinois Fighting Illini @ Purdue Boilermakers Betting Trends: January 24, 2026

Why the Purdue Boilermakers will win

• Purdue has won each of its last 19 January day games as an AP-ranked team.
• Illinois has lost eight of its last nine games against Top 5 AP-ranked opponents.
• Purdue has won the first half in each of its last 12 January day games as a top-10 AP-ranked team.

Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win

• Illinois has won each of its last eight games.
• Purdue has lost four of its last five day games against AP-ranked opponents.
• Illinois has won the first half in seven of its last eight games.

Total Points Facts

• Seven of Illinois’ last eight games have produced a total of 147 or fewer points.
• Four of Purdue’s last five games against AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 148 or fewer points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Purdue ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for assist to turnover ratio this season (2.14).
• Purdue ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for opponent free throws made per game this season (8.9).
• Illinois ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for opponent free throws made per game this season (8.6).
• Illinois ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for offensive rating this season (129.2).

Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Purdue Boilermakers Prediction

I’m on the Boilermakers here. I just think that Purdue’s the better team coming off of a loss, while Illinois has had some issues of their own and I think this could be a smash spot for Purdue to get the momentum going and to build some steam. Give me Purdue in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Purdue -6.5