Illinois Fighting Illini vs Penn State Nittany Lions Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Penn State vs Illinois NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Champaign.

Penn State vs Illinois Prediction

Looking to win big? The Nittany Lions and Fighting Illini face off at 9:00 ET on BTN. The Fighting Illini are hosting the game at State Farm Center in Champaign, IL. The odds for this Big Ten conference game currently have Illinois as the -9.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 163.5 points.

Penn State vs. Illinois Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Penn State Nittany Lions at Illinois Fighting Illini
Where: Champaign at State Farm Center
Date: Wednesday, January 8th
Betting Odds ILL -9.5, PENNST +330 | ILL -441 O/U 163.5

Nittany Lions Preview: Does Penn State Have a Shot at a Road Win?

Penn State's season record dropped to 12-3 after a 77-71 loss to Indiana on Sunday. The Nittany Lions, who were -7.5 favorites at home, not only lost the game but also failed to cover the spread.

After a 29-29 tie at halftime, Penn State allowed 48 points in the 2nd half while scoring 42. The total points for the game were 148, falling short of the 157.5 O/U line.

Nittany Lions Offense Breakdown

In their recent game, Penn State's offense put up 71 points, shooting 46% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 47.6%, largely due to their struggles from beyond the arc, where they hit just 3 of 21 attempts (14.3%). Inside the arc, they were much more efficient, connecting on 61.9% of their two-point shots.

At the free-throw line, the Nittany Lions shot 58.8%, making 10 of 17 attempts. Oumar Ballo led the way with 25 points, shooting 60% from the field and grabbing 13 rebounds. Nick Kern Jr. added 21 points, hitting 61.5% of his shots, while Mackenzie Mgbako contributed 20 points, knocking down 4 of 8 three-pointers.

Nittany Lions Team Defense

Even with Penn State’s defense allowing 77 points, they managed to limit damage from beyond the arc, holding their opponent to just 3 made threes on 21 attempts, a 14% shooting rate. However, the Nittany Lions struggled to contain inside scoring, giving up 61% shooting on two-point attempts, with their opponent hitting 26 of 42 shots.

From the free-throw line, Penn State’s opponent went 10/17, shooting 58%. The Nittany Lions also allowed 11 offensive rebounds, contributing to their defensive challenges in this game.

Fighting Illini Preview: Do the Fighting Illini Stand a Chance at Home?

Illinois Fighting Illini Recent Game/Games

Illinois improved to 11-3 on the season with an 81-77 road win over Washington on Sunday. Despite being -7 favorites, the Illini did not cover the spread. The game’s total points of 158.5 exceeded the O/U line of 154.5.

Illinois led 42-31 at halftime but allowed 46 points in the 2nd half while scoring 39. They’ll need to tighten up defensively moving forward.

Fighting Illini Offense Breakdown

Illinois put up 81 points in their last game, shooting 47% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 51.5%, with a strong 65% shooting from two-point range. However, they struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 5 of 26 attempts for 19.2%.

On the offensive glass, Illinois grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. At the free-throw line, they connected on 14 of 19 attempts, shooting 73.7%.

Fighting Illini Team Defense

Illinois gave up 77 points in their last game, with the opposing team shooting 43% from the field, connecting on 28 of their 65 attempts. Inside the arc, Illinois allowed 46% shooting, as the other team made 18 of 39 two-point shots.

From three-point range, Illinois' defense saw the opposition hit 10 of 26 attempts, good for 38%. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 14 times, where they converted 11, shooting 78%. Illinois allowed 8 offensive rebounds.

Nittany Lions vs Fighting Illini Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past five road matchups, Penn State has an ATS record of 1-3-1 while averaging 72 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
Across their ten previous home games, Illinois has an ATS mark of 5-5. Their straight up record in these matchups was 7-3 while averaging 79 points per game.
Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Penn State has an ATS mark of 2-2-1 while going 1-4 straight up.
Over the team's last five games as the favorite, the Fighting Illini struggled vs the spread going just 1-4. However, they still had a straight up mark of 4-1.