Illinois Fighting Illini at Duke Blue Devils Betting Preview

A pair of top 10 teams will meet up on Tuesday night as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The No. 6 Illinois Fighting Illini will travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a matchup with the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils.

Both teams enter this game having already suffered losses this season, but they were both to quality opponents. Illinois suffered an 82-69 loss to the Baylor Bears, and Duke fell at home 75-69 to the Michigan State Spartans.

Illinois and Duke are both legitimate Final Four contenders this season, and this could be a preview of things to come later in March. Fans will not be in attendance on Tuesday, which takes away the homecourt advantage for Duke.

The Blue Devils are 3.5-point favorites over the Fighting Illini in this one. 

Dynamic Duo Must Dominate For Illini

Illinois has a pair of future NBA Lottery picks in guard Ayo Dosunmu and center Kofi Cockburn, and these two players need to dominate in this matchup. This is why each player returned to school, and it's time for them to lead the Fighting Illini to a signature win.

Dosunmu leads the team with 23.8 points and 6.7 assists per game, and he is a preseason All American selection. Freshman guard Adam Miller is another key piece for this team, but he has been inconsistent to start the season.

Cockburn is a double-double machine, but Duke will look to exploit him in the pick-and-roll game in this one. Illinois needs its center to stay out of foul trouble to have a chance at winning. 

Illinois will look to push the ball on offense and speed up the tempo in this game. The Fighting Illini are deep, and that depth could play a huge role.

Depth an Issue For Duke

The Blue Devils aren't as deep as Illinois, and foul trouble could be an issue. Where Duke is strong is in its starting lineup, and this team is loaded with NBA prospects.

Forward Matthew Hurt leads the team with 19.0 points per game, and he is by far the best shooter on this team. Freshmen Jalen Johnson and DJ Steward are off to great starts in their college careers, and they will be factors in this game as well.

Duke must take care of the ball better as Illinois will look to speed this game up. The Blue Devils are much more athletic than Illinois, and that could play a role in this game. 

Duke Takes Care of Business

Despite having some issues with depth, Duke is still plenty good enough to get the job done on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils have been great in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and that trend will continue in this game.

Illinois will go on to have a great season, but it isn't ready to win a game of this magnitude yet. The Fighting Illini will continue searching for that signature win after a loss to Duke.

Take the Duke Blue Devils -3.5 over the Illinois Fighting Illini.

For more Dunkel college basketball picks, check out our college basketball picks page.