At the beginning of the stretch run, the Illinois Fighting Illini is probable for the NCAA Tournament. Gamblers have noticed that Illinois has rapidly improved as the Big Ten schedule progressed. It is true that Illinois will not win the Big Ten regular season title. But they pose a serious threat to the challenge for the conference tournament title. Head coach Brad Underwood has the magic formula with the College Basketball lines. Consider that Underwood has a career win percentage of .688. Most important of all, he has won wherever he has gone.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Information
| Date and Time: | Tuesday, February 14, 2023, 7 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Bryce Jordan Center, State College, Pennsylvania |
| TV Coverage: | BTN |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | -3½ (-110) | 141½ (-110) | -165 |  |
| Penn State | +3½ (-110) | 141½ (-110) | +145 | |
| ||||
Illinois at Penn State SBG Odds Overview
Few gamblers will want to step into Penn State against a quality Illinois team. In particular, the Nittany Lions’ bad sports betting stretch has bettors running for the tall grass.
Illinois Fighting Illini Team Overview
To summarize, the Illinois Fighting Illini are 17-7 straight up, 16-8 against the spread, and 10-13 over/under the total. Illinois has national metrics of 111th for scoring offense, 124th for field goal percentage, 310th for 3-point field goal percentage, 314th for free throw percentage, and 15th for offensive rebounding. In turn, defensively, they are 37th for scoring defense, 20th for field goal percentage permitted, 97th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 83rd for defensive rebounding.
Late on, Illinois covered nine of its previous ten games. The Illini went under the total in four of its most recent five games. Namely, Terrence Shannon Jr leads Illinois with 16.9 points per game.
Penn State Nittany Lions Team Overview
Overall, the Penn State Nittany Lions are 14-11 straight up, 13-11-1 against the spread, and 14-11 over/under the total. Penn State has national metrics of 161st for scoring offense, 81st for field goal percentage, 12th for 3-point field goal percentage, 47th for free throw percentage, and 290th for offensive rebounding. While on defense, Penn State is 137th for scoring defense, 165th for field goal percentage permitted, 247th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 290th for defensive rebounding.
Late on, Penn State failed to cover three of its previous four games. Four of their last five games went under the total. The Nittany Lions are in their worst stretch of the season, with five losses in their previous six games. As a result, the Nits are in the bottom portion of the Big Ten standings with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Namely, Jalen Pickett leads the Nittany Lions with 17.2 points, 6.9 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Accordingly, few gamblers want to step into Penn State against a quality Illinois team. In particular, the Nittany Lions’ bad stretch has bettors running for the tall grass.
Penn State has the reputation of being a football school. And this basketball season is reinforcing that perception. The Nittany Lions give a good effort in each game. But they lack the talent to be a serious Big Ten contender.
Illinois at Penn State at SBG Free Picks
As was previously noted, Illinois is in top form with the college basketball lines. Conversely, Penn State is in free fall.
Illinois at Penn State SBG Best Bet: Illinois Fighting Illini.