Illinois Fighting Illini vs Wisconsin Badgers Prediction, 2/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Wisconsin Badgers

Date: Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Location: Kohl Center in Chestnut Hill, MA

TV: FS1

The Illinois Fighting Illini (17-8) are headed to Kohl Center on Tuesday where they will take on the Wisconsin Badgers (19-5).

The Illinois Fighting Illini faced off with UCLA and earned the victory with a final of 83-78 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the Fighting Illini ended up walking away with 14 while UCLA finished the game with 14 fouls. They also converted 12 out of their 23 tries from distance. UCLA went 66.7% from the free throw line by burying 10 of 15 attempts. Furthermore, UCLA grabbed 21 rebounds (4 offensive, 17 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. UCLA doled out 16 assists and had 8 steals in this contest. Regarding the defense, Illinois allowed 48.3% from the field on 28 of 58 shooting. They also recorded 15 assists for this game while forcing the opposition into 7 turnovers and earning 3 steals. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 33 with 9 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Fighting Illini knocked down 18 of their 20 shots for a rate of 90.0%. Illinois wrapped up the game having earned a 50.9% FG percentage (27 out of 53) and made 11 of their 28 shots from downtown.

Kasparas Jakucionis is someone who had an impact for the contest. He shot 57.1% from the floor and also recorded 4 dimes. He played 37 minutes played and also pulled down 8 rebounds. He accounted for 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Illinois will take the court with a record of 17-8 for the season. They have an average of 85.1 points per outing (7th in college hoops) while connecting on 45.1% from the field. The Fighting Illini are shooting 31.6% from downtown (238 of 754) and 75.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Illinois is pulling in 44.6 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 372 assists for the year, which ranks 103rd in the country in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 11.9 times per game and as a unit they commit 16.4 personal fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Fighting Illini are forcing their opponents into 9.6 turnovers every game and they draw 18.7 personal fouls. They give up 31.1% on three-point shots and they rank 174th in the country in points per game from their opponents (71.3). The Fighting Illini defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 39.9% (655 of 1,640) and they surrender 33.3 boards per contest as a squad. They rank 59th in college hoops in giving up assists with 285 surrendered for the year.

For their last game, the Wisconsin Badgers went home victorious with a score of 74-63 against Iowa. When discussing rebounding, Wisconsin permitted Iowa to snag 35 in total (10 offensive). They finished 32.0% from 3-point land by connecting on 8 out of 25 and ended up going 7 out of 9 from the charity stripe (77.8%). The Badgers allowed Iowa to bury 24 of their 63 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 38.1% in this matchup. When the game finished, the Badgers shot 24 for 61 from the field which gave them a percentage of 39.3%. In regard to 3-pointers, Wisconsin converted 12 out of 35 tries (34.3%). They were able to make 14 of them for a clip of 82.4%. Iowa earned 15 fouls for the game which took the Badgers to the charity stripe for 17 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while earning 5 steals for this game. The Badgers recorded 27 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 in this game.

John Tonje was important for the Badgers for the contest. He made 5 out of 11 for this contest for a rate of 45.5%, and tallied 6 rebounds. He earned 22 points in his 33 mins on the court and added 4 dimes for the contest.

Wisconsin has a win-loss record of 19-5 on the year. The Badgers are committing 17.1 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 84.1% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 14.9 times per game (102nd in the nation) and they turn the ball over 10.1 times per game. Wisconsin has scored 1,943 pts this year (81.0 per contest) and they pull in 36.2 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Badgers are connecting on 46.0% from the floor, which ranks them 117th in the nation.

The Wisconsin defense gives up 32.2% on 3-point attempts (182 of 565) and opponents are converting on 72.9% of their free throw shots. They allow 11.5 assists and 33.2 rebounds per game, which is 53rd and 110th in D-1. The Badgers on defense are ranked 129th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 69.9. They have forced 10.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.3% from the field (65th in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Wisconsin

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here