Illinois vs. Penn State Dunkel Predictions & Vegas Odds - Jan. 3

The No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) hit the court against the Penn State Nittany Lions (9-4, 0-2 Big Ten) as 14.5-point favorites on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. The matchup's over/under is set at 156.5.

In its most recent game on Monday, Illinois secured a 90-55 victory over Southern. In the victory, Jake Davis led Illinois with 15 points. Penn State heads into this contest following a 90-67 victory against North Carolina Central on Monday. Kayden Mingo scored 19 points in Penn State's victory, leading the team.

Illinois vs. Penn State Odds and Game Time

• When: Saturday, January 3, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET
• Where: The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Spread favorite: Illinois -14.5
• Moneyline favorite: Illinois -1471
• Moneyline underdog: Penn State +851
• Over/Under: 156.5 points

How to watch Illinois vs. Penn State

• TV Channel: Big Ten Network
• Live Stream: Fubo
• Check out the rest of our Dunkel Index NCAA Basketball Picks!

Betting the Over/Under: Illinois vs. Penn State

• Illinois and its opponents have combined to outscore Saturday's over/under (156.5 points) seven times this season.
• There have been five Penn State games that ended with a combined score over 156.5 points this season.
• Together, the two teams combine for 167.3 points per game, 10.8 points more than the over/under of 156.5 for this game.
• These two teams give up a combined 142.8 points per game, 13.7 points less than this contest's over/under.
• On average, Illinois has had a 156.7-point over/under in its games this season, 0.2 more points than the over/under in this matchup.
• A difference of 3.1 points separates this game's over/under (156.5 points) and the average over/under in Penn State's games (153.4) this season.

Betting the Spread: Illinois vs. Penn State

• Illinois is 8-5-0 against the spread this season.
• The Fighting Illini have an against the spread record of 4-2 in their six games when favored by 14.5 points or more so far this season.
• Penn State is 4-9-0 against the spread this year.
• This season, the Nittany Lions are winless ATS when entering a game as an underdog of 14.5 points or more.
• At home this year, Penn State has two wins against the spread and is 7-1 overall.
• At home, as a 14.5-point underdog or more, Penn State has one win ATS (1-3).

Betting the Moneyline: Illinois vs. Penn State

• Illinois has been the moneyline favorite in 11 games this season and won nine (81.8%) of those contests.
• The Fighting Illini have been at least a -1471 moneyline favorite six times this season and won each of those games.
• Illinois has a 93.6% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
• Penn State has been named as the moneyline underdog three times this season but has yet to come away with a victory in any of those games.
• Oddsmakers have given the Nittany Lions the worst odds of winning they have seen this season with a +851 moneyline listed for this contest.
• Penn State has an implied victory probability of 10.5% according to the moneyline set by sportsbooks for this matchup.

Dunkel Index Prediction for Illinois vs. Penn State

• Pick ATS: Illinois (- 14.5)
• Pick OU: Over (156.5)
  
• Prediction: Illinois 92 - Penn State 70