Arizona Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview

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— Saturday, December 11th Arizona Wildcats @ Illinois Fighting Illini

Champaign, Illinois, is the site of one of the best college basketball games on the calendar for December 11. The Illinois Fighting Illini host the Arizona Wildcats, and there will be plenty of national attention on this matchup.

Arizona has looked like one of the best teams in the country this season as they have jumped out to a perfect 8-0 record. The Wildcats have faced a pretty weak schedule up to this point, but this is going to be a tough battle.

Illinois has gone 7-2 to begin the year, and that’s actually a slightly worse start than what was expected. The Fighting Illini have won five straight games, including a pair of impressive wins to open up Big Ten Conference action.

The Arizona Wildcats are one-point betting favorites on the road against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Arizona Playing With Pace

The Arizona Wildcats have been winning games by an average of more than 31 points per game, and the offense has been unstoppable at times. Arizona is scoring nearly 92 points per game, and they are going to speed up the tempo in this matchup on Saturday.

Bennedict Mathurin might not be a household name yet in college basketball, but that could be changing soon. Mathurin is scoring 17 points per game to lead the Wildcats, and he will have the full attention of the Illini on Saturday.

It’s hard to know what to make of the Arizona defense, even though they are allowing less than 60 points per game. The Wildcats are finally facing a team that is capable of doing real damage on offense.

Cockburn Set to Lead Illini

Kofi Cockburn is an absolute monster for Illinois, and he is going to be tough for Arizona to stop in this one. Cockburn is averaging 22.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, and he should have a monster night against the Wildcats.

Alfonso Plummer and Trent Frazier also give the Illini some shooting from the outside, and that will be a key in this game. Illinois is scoring 78 points per game, but that’s usually more than enough because of their defense.

Illinois is a veteran team, and older players usually understand the importance of defense. Look for the Fighting Illini to establish their defense and slow down the tempo in this one.

Illinois Picks Up Home Win

Arizona has looked unstoppable so far this season, but they are going to run into a hostile environment on Saturday. The Wildcats aren’t going to find as many wide-open looks on offense, and they are also facing a terrific team.

Illinois will use Cockburn to establish dominance early in this game, and then the outside shooting will do the rest. The Fighting Illini have faced a grueling schedule up to this point, and that will help them in this battle.

The Illinois Fighting Illini are going to pick up another statement win as they put the college basketball world on notice. Take Illinois moneyline as they deliver the Arizona Wildcats their first loss of the year.

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