Last Updated Aug 30, 2021, 9:46 AM
Iowa vs. Illinois Predictions, Odds, Preview
In a 3:30 p.m. (ET) tip at Lucas Oil Stadium, the No. 3 seeded Iowa Hawkeyes will square off against the No. 2 Illinois Fighting Illini in Saturday’s semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. CBS will carry the game nationally.
BETTING RESOURCES
- Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
- Conference: Big Ten
- Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
- Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: Saturday, March 13, 2021
- Time: 3:30 p.m. (ET)
- TV: CBS
- Bet: BetMGM | BetRivers | FanDuel | bet365 | DraftKings | Best Sportsbooks
Iowa-Illinois Betting Odds
- Spread: Illinois -4
- Total: 157
Odds Subject to Change
Illinois gets the opening nod in this semifinal showdown as a four-point favorite. The total line for the game has been set at 157 points.
Iowa opened tournament play on Friday with a 62-57 win against Wisconsin that ended as a PUSH. It is now 8-1 straight-up in its last nine games while going 5-3-1 against the spread. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of those nine contests.
The Hawkeyes lost to Illinois 80-75 on Jan. 29 as three-point road underdogs. The total stayed UNDER 161.5 points. They are 5-2 SU and 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings between the two. The total has stayed UNDER in two of the last three matchups.
Illinois faced Rutgers in the quarterfinals and rolled to a 90-68 victory as an eight-point favorite. It has now won its last five games both SU and ATS. The total has gone OVER in five of its last seven outings.
The Fighting Illini have won 12 of their last 13 games SU and they are 5-1 SU in their last six March games.
Betting Analysis – Iowa Hawkeyes
Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)
- SU: 20-7
- ATS: 15-12
- O/U: 14-13
As expected, Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza played a major roll in Friday’s win. He ended the game with 24 points and nine rebounds to basically match his season average in both stats. He shot 55.4% from the field and 42% from three-point range.
Guard Joe Wieskamp tweaked his ankle in that game but he remains listed as probable for Saturday. He is the team’s second-leading scorer with 14.8 points per game.
The Hawkeyes are scoring an average of 84.2 points and pulling down a total of 40.3 rebounds a game. They are shooting 47.2% from the field and 38.8% from three-point range.
Defensively, Iowa has given up an average of 62.8 points during its current four-game winning streak. The team’s points-allowed average this season is 71.6.
Betting Analysis – Illinois Fighting Illini
Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)
- SU: 20-6
- ATS: 16-9-1
- O/U: 14-11-1
Ayo Dosunmu had the hot hand against Rutgers with 23 points. The junior guard scored 19 points against Ohio State in the regular season finale after missing his previous three starts with a concussion.
