Wisconsin Badgers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 1/7/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Wisconsin Badgers vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, January 7, 2023

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: ESPN2

The Illinois Fighting Illini (9-4) are welcoming the Wisconsin Badgers (11-2) at State Farm Center on Saturday.

The Wisconsin Badgers faced Minnesota and earned the victory with a final of 63-60 in their last contest. Wisconsin walked away from the game with a 43.6% FG percentage (24 out of 55) and made 8 of their 20 shots from downtown. From the free throw line, the Badgers converted 7 of 9 attempts for a rate of 77.8%. In relation to hauling in boards, they compiled 24 with 2 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 9 assists for this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 20 turnovers and having 13 steals. When discussing defense, Wisconsin let their opponent shoot 43.6% from the floor on 24 of 55 shooting. Minnesota earned 7 dimes and had 5 steals in this contest. Moreover, Minnesota totaled 37 boards (9 offensive, 28 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Minnesota finished the contest at 63.6% at the free throw line by making 7 of 11 attempts. They also made 5 of 14 shots from distance. Concerning personal fouls, the Badgers walked away with 15 and Minnesota finished the game with 10 personal fouls.

Steven Crowl is a guy who played a role for the contest. He finished the game shooting 61.5% from the field and also recorded 1 assist. He played for 30 minutes and grabbed 5 boards. He accounted for 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting.

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Wisconsin steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss mark of 11-2 on the season. They average 68.5 points per outing (273rd in Division 1) while hitting 43.1% from the field. The Badgers are shooting 38.2% on shots from 3-point land (115 of 301) and 69.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, Wisconsin is grabbing 32.6 rebounds per game and is sitting with 168 assists this season, which has them ranked 294th in D-1 in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 9.7 times per game and as a team are committing 15.5 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Badgers are able to force 13.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.2 fouls. They currently rank 15th in college basketball in giving up assists with 129 conceded for the year. Badgers defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 41.9% (297 of 708) and they surrender 35.2 rebounds per game as a team. They surrender 30.4% from 3-point land and they are ranked 30th in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (61.2).

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini went home defeated by a final of 73-60 against Northwestern. In relation to rebounding, Illinois permitted Northwestern to grab 31 in all (8 on the offensive glass). They finished 38.9% from distance by hitting 7 of 18 and finished the contest at 32 out of 40 from the charity stripe (80.0%). The Fighting Illini allowed Northwestern to knock down 17 out of their 53 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 32.1% for the contest. When this game wrapped up, the Fighting Illini finished the game shooting 23 for 58 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.7%. When it comes to shooting from beyond the arc, Illinois buried 8 out of their 28 attempts (28.6%). They were able to knock down 6 of those for a percentage of 60.0%. Northwestern was called for 17 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for a total of 10 tries. They also turned it over 15 times, while recording 2 steals for the contest. The Fighting Illini were able to collect 27 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 34 in the matchup.

Matthew Mayer ended up being important for the Fighting Illini for the contest. He converted 5 out of 11 for this contest for a rate of 45.5%, and tallied 7 rebounds. He had 17 points in his 30 minutes on the hardwood, but wasn't able to get an assist.

Illinois has a mark of 9-4 this year. On the offensive side of the court, the Fighting Illini are hitting on 46.5% from the field, which is 92nd in the nation. Illinois has accumulated 1,015 pts for the campaign (78.1 per game) and they pull down 39.7 boards per game. They are getting an assist 14.3 times per game (132nd in the nation) and they turn the ball over 15.2 times per contest. The Fighting Illini are responsible for committing 16.4 fouls per game and they go 65.8% from the charity stripe.

The Illinois defense gives up 32.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (80 of 245) and their opponents are converting on 70.6% of their free throw shots. They give up 11.4 assists and 32.7 total boards per game, ranking them 97th and 97th in college hoops. The Fighting Illini on the defensive end are ranked 55th in college hoops in points given up per game with 63.7. They are forcing their opponents into 16.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 39.3% from the floor (32nd in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Illinois

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