Chattanooga Mocs vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 3/18/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chattanooga Mocs vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Friday, March 18, 2022

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Chattanooga (+8)

The Chattanooga Mocs (27-7) are en route to PPG Paints Arena on Friday where they will meet the Illinois Fighting Illini (22-9). Chattanooga is 8-point dogs. The over/under comes in at 135.5.

The Chattanooga Mocs stepped onto the hardwood against Furman and walked away with a win by a score of 64-63 in their last game. Chattanooga walked away from the contest having earned a 41.9% field goal percentage (26 out of 62) and buried 6 out of their 25 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Mocs converted 6 of 8 attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they earned 35 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 12 dimes in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 3 steals. In the matter of defending, Chattanooga allowed 44.2% from the floor on 23 of 52 shooting. Furman totaled 9 dimes and had 7 steals for the game. Additionally, Furman pulled down 27 rebounds (5 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Furman shot 72.7% at the free throw line by converting 8 of 11 tries. They made 9 out of their 32 tries from beyond the perimeter. In the matter of personal fouls, the Mocs ended up with 12 and Furman totaled 11 personal fouls.

Silvio De Sousa is someone who was a major factor for the game. He scored 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He played 30 mins played and also snagged 14 rebounds. He finished 70.0% from the field but wasn't able to get an assist.

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Chattanooga will play this contest with a mark of 27-7 so far this year. They turn it over 11.0 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 15.5 personal fouls every game. As a team, Chattanooga is collecting 35.9 boards per game and has racked up 443 dimes this season, which is 107th in the country in terms of passing. The Mocs are shooting 34.6% on shots from beyond the arc (272 of 785) and 75.2% from the free throw line. They have an average of 74.8 pts per game (80th in college hoops) while shooting 46.9% from the floor.

On defense, the Mocs are forcing 12.2 turnovers per game while drawing 14.6 personal fouls. They rank 103rd in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 362 conceded for the year. The Mocs are giving up a shooting percentage of 42.3% (811 of 1,916) and they surrender 30.9 boards per game as a unit. They relinquish 30.0% on 3-point shots and they are 43rd in college basketball in points per game allowed (64.7).

When they last stepped on the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini took a loss by a score of 65-63 against Indiana. The Fighting Illini were able to pull down 25 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 34 for this game. They also coughed up the ball 7 times, while getting 5 steals for this game. Indiana committed 19 personal fouls for this game which took the Fighting Illini to the charity stripe for a total of 23 tries. They were able to bury 15 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 65.2%. In relation to 3-pointers, Illinois converted 8 of 22 attempts (36.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Illini finished shooting 20 out of 56 from the floor which had them shooting 35.7%. The Fighting Illini permitted Indiana to convert 26 out of their 56 attempts from the field which had them shooting 46.4% in this matchup. They finished 30.0% from 3-point land by shooting 3 out of 10 and finished the game at 10 of 13 from the free throw line (76.9%). When talking about rebounds, Illinois allowed Indiana to collect 33 overall (3 offensive).

Kofi Cockburn ended up having an impact for the Fighting Illini in the game. He earned 23 points in his 33 mins on the hardwood, but didn't record an assist. He knocked down 8 out of 13 in this contest for a field goal rate of 61.5%, and accounted for 10 rebounds.

Illinois has a mark of 22-9 for the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Fighting Illini are shooting 45.3% from the floor, which ranks 107th in the country. Illinois has earned 2,349 points for the season (75.8 per game) and they pull down 38.6 boards per game. They are earning an assist 15.4 times per contest (39th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 12.2 times per contest. The Fighting Illini commit 16.4 fouls per contest and they hit 70.8% from the free throw line.

The Fighting Illini are ranked 136th in the nation in points given up per game with 67.6. They have forced 10.7 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 41.6% from the floor (88th in D-1). The Illinois defense gives up 32.3% on 3-point shots (177 of 548) and their opposition makes 72.1% of their foul shots. They give up 10.4 assists and 32.5 boards every game, which ranks them 28th and 76th in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Illinois (-8)

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