Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 2/11/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, February 11, 2023

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: ESPN+

State Farm Center is the site where the Illinois Fighting Illini (16-7) will try to defeat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (16-8) on Saturday.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights faced Indiana and ended up losing by a score of 66-60 in their last game. Rutgers finished the contest with a 39.7% field goal percentage (23 of 58) and buried 8 of their 25 3-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Scarlet Knights converted 6 of their 10 shots for a percentage of 60.0%. When discussing pulling down boards, they collected 31 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 11 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and getting 8 steals. With respect to the defense, Rutgers allowed the other team to go 45.8% from the field on 22 out of 48 shooting. Indiana distributed 15 assists and had 5 steals for the game. In addition, Indiana collected 32 rebounds (8 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Indiana went 70.8% from the charity stripe by burying 17 of their 24 shots. They also buried 5 out of their 12 tries from long range. With respect to personal fouls, the Scarlet Knights ended up finishing with 17 and Indiana racked up 13 personal fouls.

Clifford Omoruyi is someone who was a factor for the game. He ended up with 15 points on 6 of 12 shooting. He played for 32 mins and also totaled 4 rebounds. He finished the game at 50.0% from the floor but wasn't able to get a dime.

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Rutgers enters this game with a mark of 16-8 on the campaign. They are turning it over 11.9 times per game and as a group they commit 16.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Rutgers is pulling down 38.1 boards per game and has racked up 375 assists this year, which is 45th in the nation in terms of passing. The Scarlet Knights are hitting 32.2% from downtown (140 of 435) and 72.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 70.5 points per game (206th in college hoops) while shooting 43.7% from the field.

On defense, the Scarlet Knights have forced 15.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.7 personal fouls. They surrender 29.3% from beyond the arc and they are 5th in D-1 in points per game allowed (58.7). The Scarlet Knights defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 37.8% (497 of 1,314) and they concede 34.1 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 99th in college basketball in giving up assists with 276 conceded so far this year.

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini took a loss by a final score of 81-79 when they played Iowa. The Fighting Illini corralled 24 defensive boards and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 in this contest. They turned the ball over 14 times, while getting 4 steals in this game. Iowa committed 21 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for 23 tries. They were able to knock down 18 of the free throws for a percentage of 78.3%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, Illinois converted 7 of their 22 tries (31.8%). Overall, the Fighting Illini finished 27 for 55 from the field which gave them a rate of 49.1%. The Fighting Illini allowed Iowa to convert 24 of their 53 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.3% in the matchup. They finished 36.8% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 7 of 19 and ended up shooting 26 of 30 at the free throw line (86.7%). When talking about rebounds, Illinois allowed Iowa to pull down 23 in total (7 on the offensive side).

Matthew Mayer ended up being important for the Fighting Illini for the matchup. He converted 7 of 9 in the game for a rate of 77.8%, and accounted for 5 rebounds. He racked up 21 points in his 28 mins on the court and had 4 dimes in the matchup.

Illinois has a win-loss mark of 16-7 on the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Fighting Illini are connecting on 45.5% from the floor, which is 135th in the nation. Illinois has 1,729 pts this year (75.2 per game) and they grab 38.8 rebounds per contest. They are getting an assist 13.4 times per contest (164th in college basketball) and they cough up possession 13.4 times per contest. The Fighting Illini are responsible for committing 16.8 fouls per contest and they shoot 67.3% from the free throw line.

The Fighting Illini on the defensive end are ranked 42nd in the country in points given up per game with 64.1. They are forcing 14.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 40.0% from the field (26th in college basketball). The Illinois defense concedes 32.4% on 3-point shots (133 of 411) and their opposition makes 70.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 10.7 assists and 32.7 boards per contest, which is 41st and 94th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Illinois

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