#13 Illinois vs #3 Purdue | College Basketball Game Betting Preview

No. 13 Illinois and No. 3 Purdue played one of the most entertaining games of the season a few weeks ago and they face off again in Big Ten action Tuesday from West Lafayette, with the Boilers as short favorites on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Illinois at Purdue NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

• When: Tuesday, 9 PM ET
• Where: Mackey Arena
• TV: ESPN
• Stream: ESPN app
• Radio: Tunein.com
• Opening NCAAB Lines: Purdue -5.5 (total 148.5)

Last Meeting

On Jan. 17, Purdue won at Illinois 96-88 in double overtime. Sasha Stefanovic scored 22 points, including a go-ahead 3 at the start of double overtime. Stefanovic went 5 of 8 on 3-point tries and also had eight rebounds. His last-second shot from long range fell short as the regulation buzzer sounded. Illinois guards Andre Curbelo and Alfonso Plummer made baskets in the final seconds of regulation and the first overtime before the Boilermakers broke away. Plummer led the Illini with 24 points, shooting 6 of 12 on 3s. Illinois star center Kofi Cockburn was held to 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting in 22 minutes before he fouled out early in the first overtime.

Why Bet on Illinois?

Illinois (17-5) won its fourth game in a row Saturday, 74-57 at Indiana. Hoosiers preseason All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis missed the final 15 1/2 minutes of the first half because of foul trouble. The Illini’s Jacob Grandison started a decisive 16-3 run with back-to-back 3s, the second giving Illinois a 48-45 lead — its first since less than three minutes into the game. Illinois spent the rest of the game pulling away.

“I thought the game turned when Jacob made those two 3s. We never really recovered from it,” Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson said. “They put a solid 40-minute ballgame together and we put a 20-minute ballgame together.”

Trent Frazier and Kofi Cockburn combined for 26 second-half points for the Illini. Frazier led the scoring attack with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field while dishing out four assists. While Cockburn had a slow start to the game, he finished the game with 17 points, eight rebound and two steals. His defensive effort against Jackson-Davis in the second half led to just 29% shooting from the Hoosiers in the final 20 minutes.  Since missing two games while in concussion protocol, Cockburn has been as dominant as ever, averaging 25.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in three games, while shooting 65.3% from the field.

The 17-point win was the Illini’s largest margin of victory ever at IU’s Assembly Hall, which opened 50 years ago. It was Illinois’ largest margin of victory at Indiana since the No. 8 Illini beat the No. 12 Hoosiers by 24 (96-72) on January 14, 1956. Illinois held Indiana to season lows in points (57), shooting percentage (.357), and field goals made (20).

During its four-game winning streak, Illinois’ defense has held opponents to an average of 58.8 points on combined 36.2% shooting, including 21.7% from three. Illinois has now won eight of its last nine Big Ten road games, and 13 of its last 15.

Why Bet on Purdue?

The Boilers (20-3) won their fifth in a row Saturday, 82-76 over Michigan. Leading by one point, Purdue used a 10-0 run to expand its lead to 55-44 with 13:48 to go. Michigan wasn’t finished, cutting the deficit to 76-72 on a 3-pointer by Jones with 2:19 to go, but could get no closer. The Wolverines were hurt by back-to-back turnovers.

Purdue’s big three of Jaden Ivey, Zach Edey and Trevion Williams combined for 55 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists. Ivey had 23 points, his third straight 20-point game.

It marked the second-most combined points the trio has scored this season (Indiana State – 60). Purdue became the first program in league history to win 1,000 conference games. Purdue is now 1,000 – 686 in Big Ten Conference games. It was Matt Painter’s 400th career victory in his 18th season as a collegiate head coach (25 at Southern Illinois, 375 at Purdue).

Purdue has scored 80-plus points in five straight Big Ten games for the first time since doing it in seven straight games from Jan. 18 to Feb. 10, 1998. The win gave Purdue 20 victories for the 12th time in 17 seasons under Painter. Purdue is 20-3 (or better) for the sixth time since the 1979-80 season and third time under Painter (2021-22, 2017-18, 2009-10).

Purdue has not trailed in three of its last five games (Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota). In its other two victories, it trailed Northwestern for 1:23 and Ohio State for 4:37. Over its last 108 games at Mackey Arena, Purdue is 97-11.

Purdue has now shot over 50 percent in 14 of its 23 games this season, the second-most games in the country. Purdue is 58-2 since the start of the 2017-18 season when scoring at least 80 points, having won 36 straight games.

If the Boilers beat Illinois, they will also pull into a tie atop the Big Ten with the Illini.

Expert Prediction

• Purdue 80, Illinois 78

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