The Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Missouri Tigers in St. Louis, MO. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Illinois is favored by 2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -140. The total is set at 154.5 points.
Here are my Illinois vs. Missouri predictions and college basketball picks for December 22, 2024.
Illinois vs Missouri Prediction
My Pick: Missouri +2.5
My Illinois vs Missouri best bet is on the Tigers spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Illinois vs Missouri Odds
| Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 154.5 -110 / -110 | -140 |
| Missouri Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 154.5 -110 / -110 | +116 |
- Illinois vs Missouri spread: Illinois -2.5
- Illinois vs Missouri over/under: 154.5 points
- Illinois vs Missouri moneyline: Illinois -140, Missouri +116
- Illinois vs Missouri best bet: Missouri +2.5
Spread
I like the Tigers on the spread.
Moneyline
The Tigers could win this game straight-up.
Over/Under
I'm avoiding the total.
My Pick: Missouri +2.5
Illinois vs Missouri College Basketball Betting Preview
Braggin’ Rights tips off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in St. Louis, MO. The Illinois-Mizzou game is normally appointment television, with two evenly-matched squads squaring off in a venue that is about as 50/50 fan support as you can get.
Lately, though, this contest has resulted in blowouts – the last three matchups have seen margins of at least 20 points.
With Mizzou experiencing a bit of a renaissance from last season’s debacle, and with Illinois not skipping a beat with a young roster, expect Sunday’s game to be a hotly-contested affair.
Mizzou’s offense has been electric thus far – albeit against the fourth-worst schedule in the country. The Tigers push in transition, they shoot the ball well from distance, they attack the glass, they handle the ball and they get to the foul line at a sky high rate.
The versatility of Mizzou’s scoring attack — combined with its deep bench — makes it a tough team to prepare for and ultimately stop. Few teams have been as successful barraging the rim but also hitting the 3.
Illinois has been excellent at limiting transition this season, deterring rim looks and running shooters off the line – it’s truly strength vs. strength in this one.
While the Illini won’t force many turnovers, they are so positionally sound and big across every position that Mizzou will need to stay disciplined — and frankly hit tough shots — to score points.
Illinois’ offense is a spread pick-and-roll attack with the superb freshman point guard Kasparas Jakucionis running the show. His ball screen partner — Tomislav Ivisic — is as dangerous a roll man as they come with his ability to shoot or finish in traffic.
The Illini have been heavily reliant on the 3 this season, with over 51% of their shot attempts coming from distance. Shooters fill nearly every spot on the floor.
Mizzou has been very good defending the pick-and-roll this season, and Dennis Gates’ ability to play multiple lineups – including small ball with athletic, mobile forwards who can play the 5 – should fair nicely against the Illini attack.
Most teams are stuck throwing out a plodding big to defend Ivisic – and are thus at a disadvantage – but Mizzou can counter with a forward strong enough to keep him off the glass but mobile enough to stick with him on the arc.
Mizzou’s defensive pressure has also been extremely impressive this year – just ask Kansas, which turned the ball over 22 times in Columbia. Illinois’ guards are largely sure-handed, but they are still young, and this will be an intense environment.
These two teams are closer to even than KenPom suggests, and it’s possible the market sniffs that out. Mizzou should be catching points, and bettors should rush to lap up any the market gives them.
This team rises to its competition in big games and has the chops to win against Illinois outright.
