Illinois Fighting Illini at Wisconsin Badgers Betting Preview

It’s another Top 25 showdown in the Big Ten Conference on Saturday afternoon when the Wisconsin Badgers host the Illinois Fighting Illini. Illinois won the first meeting of the season between these two rivals and is looking for the season sweep.

Illinois comes into this game with an overall record of 17-6, and they have gone 13-4 so far in Big Ten Conference action. The Fighting Illini are the number 5 ranked team in the country at this time, and they have a chance to finish in second place in the conference.

Wisconsin has gone just 10-7 in Big Ten Conference action, and things have not gone well for this team of late. The Badgers have gone just 3-3 in their last six games, but life in the Big Ten Conference is rough. 

The Wisconsin Badgers are 4.5-point favorites over the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday. 

Illinois Rolling on Offense

The Fighting Illini are scoring over 81 points per game this season, and they want to play extremely fast. Illinois has a very deep roster, and head coach Brad Underwood has been getting great contributions from several players.

Ayo Dosunmu leads the way with 21 points and 5.3 assists per game, and he recorded a triple-double in the first meeting with the Wisconsin Badgers. Dosunmu was forced to miss the game on Thursday night with a broken nose and could be affected in this game.

Center Kofi Cockburn is a double-double machine, and he will really challenge the big men for the Wisconsin Badgers. Illinois can just beat teams in so many ways. 

Badgers Must Play Slow

Wisconsin does not have the weapons to keep up with Illinois, and they must slow this game down if they plan on winning. The Badgers are averaging just 69.8 points per game, but they are holding opponents to just 63 points per game.

D’Mitrik Trice leads the Badgers with 13.5 points per game, and Micah Potter has chipped in with more than 12 points per game. Wisconsin has several players that can step up when needed, but they don’t have a true superstar. 

The Badgers are shooting better than 36 percent from the three-point line, and they are tough to beat when they are making shots. 

Badgers Beat Illini

Illinois absolutely dominated Wisconsin in the first meeting of the season, but the Fighting Illini always struggle to play well in Madison. Throw in the fact that Dosunmu is a little banged up, and this could spell major trouble for the number 5 team in the country.

Wisconsin will have to shoot the ball well to win this game, but that usually happens on their home floor. The Badgers will be able to control the tempo of this game, and that will frustrate the explosive Fighting Illini.

This game will be tight throughout, but it will be Wisconsin that is able to make the plays late to pull away. Bet on the Wisconsin Badgers -4.5 over the Illinois Fighting Illini in this Big Ten Conference showdown.

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