The Southern Jaguars take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in Champaign, IL. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET on BTN.
Illinois is favored by -30.5 points on the spread with the total set at 164.5 points.
Here’s my Southern vs. Illinois predictions and college basketball picks for December 29, 2025.
Southern vs Illinois Prediction
My Pick: Over 164.5 (Play to 167)
My Southern vs Illinois best bet is on the over. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Southern vs. Illinois Odds
| Southern Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+30.5 -105 | 164.5 -105o / -115u | OFF |
| Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-30.5 -115 | 164.5 -105o / -115u | OFF |
- Southern vs Illinois spread: Illinois -30.5
- Southern vs Illinois over/under: 164.5 points
Southern vs Illinois College Basketball Betting Preview
Southern Basketball
The Jaguars own a 4-8 record, but they haven’t been shy about scheduling some tough foes. Among their eight losses, they lost blowouts against No. 14 Arkansas, Marquette, Washington and Texas.
But when it comes to Southern capturing wins, it only has one against a Division I opponent. The Jaguars' other three victories were against Louisiana Christian, Champion Christian and Ecclesia.
Their best player is Michael Jacobs, a 6-foot-2 guard who's averaging 20.9 points per game. He also adds 4.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He's scored 20+ points in six of his last seven.
Jacobs is aided by Malek Abdelgowad and Cam Amboree, who both average double digits.
The Jaguars play fast, as they're the 30th-fastest team in the nation (via KenPom's adjusted tempo metric) and average just 16 seconds per possession. They also find themselves shooting a high volume from deep, averaging a nice 36.5% beyond the arc.
The caveat to that is their defense tends to struggle when it comes to defending the 3-pointer, as the Jaguars are allowing opponents to shoot above 40% from deep.
Their quick pace also works against them, as their defense struggles in transition.
Illinois Basketball
Illinois obviously owns the upper hand in this game, as it has the No. 2 offense via adjusted efficiency paired with the No. 27 defense.
The Illini have also played a tough strength of schedule, coming in at 17th in strength of schedule. Their only losses have been to Alabama, UConn and Nebraska (by three points).
The Fighting Illini have four players who average double digits, all of whom score at least 13 points per game.
They're the 19th-best team in terms of limiting offensive turnovers — a great stat considering they rank near the bottom at generating turnovers.
The Illini are a much slower tempo team, coming in 225th in adjusted tempo.
They're just way more efficient in comparison to the Jaguars.
Southern vs. Illinois Betting Analysis
I can see this spread getting bumped up to 35 points.
While the Jaguars have a few capable scoring threats, Illinois has more. The Illini are the much more efficient offense and defense.
The Jaguars have been blown out by at least 18 points four times this season, but they’ve only lost by more than 30 twice.
Laying 31.5 is a tough ask, but this Southern team isn’t necessarily screaming at me to back it.
I do, however, think we have an opportunity to take the over. The overall pace and efficiency of both offenses has me confident.
My Pick: Over 164.5 (Play to 167)
