A 2021 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal battle is on tap Friday between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini at 6:30 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Scarlet Knights are 15-10, while the Fighting Illini are 20-6. The Scarlet Knights are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven neutral-site games as underdogs. The Fighting Illini are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games when playing a team with a winning straight-up record.
The Fighting Illini are favored by 7.5 points in the latest Rutgers vs. Illinois odds, and the over-under is set at 137.5. Before making any Illinois vs. Rutgers picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned over $400 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Rutgers vs. Illinois. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Illinois vs. Rutgers:
- Illinois vs. Rutgers: Illinois -7.5
- Illinois vs. Rutgers over-under: 137.5 points
- Illinois vs. Rutgers money line: Illinois -340; Rutgers +275
Why Illinois can cover
The Fighting Illini are riding a four-game winning streak into the Big Ten Tournament, having defeated Ohio State 73-68 to end the regular season March 6. Andre Curbelo led the way with 19 points and six assists.
Ayo Dosunmu leads Illinois with 20.9 points and 5.2 assists per game. Kofi Cockburn pulls down 9.6 rebounds per outing. Rutgers downed the Illini on the road on Dec. 20, earning a 91-88 victory. Illinois scores 80.7 points and allows 68.5 points per game.
Why Rutgers can cover
The Scarlet Knights opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 61-50 victory over Indiana on Thursday. Ron Harper Jr. led Rutgers with 13 points, and Myles Johnson grabbed 13 rebounds.
Harper leads Rutgers in scoring at 15.2 points per game, while Johnson pulls down 8.8 rebounds and Jacob Young deals 3.6 assists per outing. Rutgers upset Illinois 91-88 on Dec. 20. Rutgers scores 70.0 points and allows 67.4 points per game.
How to make Illinois vs. Rutgers picks
The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 143 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of projections. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Illinois vs. Rutgers? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.
