Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Illinois Fighting Illini odds & best bet

Wisconsin starts the day a full game up on Illinois in the Big Ten standings. The Badgers have a game against Nebraska earlier in the day (and it probably is a win), so the Illini will know if they can rise up or not.  A win by the Illini would give them second place ahead of Purdue regardless.

Iowa is further down in the conference standings (4th) but according to KenPom, is the second-best team in the Big Ten right now. The Hawkeyes have won their last five games and eight of their last nine. They have been dominating too, as everyone one of those wins has been by at least 10 points. If you look at their Big Ten results, they have taken some losses but when they win, they really play well. Only one of their league wins has been by less than nine points. 

With Keegan Murray and Kofi Cockburn, this Sunday night game has two of the best players in the country. These teams met all the way back in December with Illinois winning an exciting 87-83 game at Iowa. The Hawkeyes are looking to return the favor tonight. 

Game Info

Iowa Hawkeyes (22-8) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (21-8)
Sunday, March 6, 2022
7:30 PM ET
State Farm Center
FS1

Betting Odds

Spread: Hawkeyes +3.5 (-110), Illini -3.5 (-110)
Total: 153.5
Moneyline: Hawkeyes +140, Illini -170

Best Bet

Illinois -3.5

It was a high-scoring, close game the first time these teams met. When you look back at the box score a couple of things stand out that swung the game for the Illini. The first was distance shooting as senior Jacob Grandison came off the bench to score 21 points, making four threes in the game.

The other is that Illinois grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, to Iowa's nine. Cockburn contributed five of those on the way to a monster game with 17 points and 18 rebounds. 

Looking at this matchup I am not sure how much is going to change from the last time these teams played, even though it was a few months ago. Iowa played a good game in that one, only turing the ball over 4 times. The Hawkeyes continue to amaze being able to play at the pace they do with such great ball security.

Cockburn is likely to once again have an easy time inside as Iowa does not really have anyone who matches up well with him and defense overall is not a strength. 

This one is going to come down to who is going to make shots and both teams have a bunch of guys they can rely on. With Illinois at home, they are a little more reliable in this spot. Five of Iowa's losses have come on the road this season. 

Look for a super fun game that is close throughout. In the final 10 minutes, Illinois pulls away to win by about seven points.