Purdue Boilermakers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 3/7/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Purdue Boilermakers vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Friday, March 7, 2025

Location: State Farm Center in Auburn, AL

TV: FOX

State Farm Center is the location where the Illinois Fighting Illini (19-11) will try to beat the Purdue Boilermakers (21-9) on Friday.

The Purdue Boilermakers faced off with Rutgers and took home the win by a score of 100-71 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Boilermakers ended up finishing with 14 while Rutgers had 12 personal fouls. They made 8 of their 25 attempts from 3-point land. Rutgers finished the game at 61.9% when shooting free throws by knocking down 13 of 21 tries. In addition, Rutgers had 21 rebounds (8 offensive, 13 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Rutgers doled out 10 dimes and had 3 steals in this contest. In the matter of the defense, Purdue let their opponent shoot 43.9% from the field on 25 of 57 shooting. They also doled out 19 dimes for the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and having 6 steals. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 38 with 14 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Boilermakers made 8 of their 9 tries for a percentage of 88.9%. Purdue walked away from the game having earned a 56.1% field goal percentage (37 out of 66) and knocked down 18 of 36 three-point attempts.

Braden Smith is one player who was a major contributor in this matchup. He ended up shooting 46.7% from the floor and also distributed 9 assists. He played for 32 mins and grabbed 5 rebounds. He ended up scoring 23 points on 7 out of 15 shooting.

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Purdue steps onto the court with a mark of 21-9 so far this year. They are turning it over 10.6 times per contest and as a team are committing 15.9 fouls every game. As a unit, Purdue is grabbing 32.4 boards per contest and has racked up 489 dimes on the season, which is 37th in college in terms of passing the rock. The Boilermakers are hitting 38.9% from downtown (252 of 647) and 72.9% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 78.2 points per game (74th in the nation) while going 49.6% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Boilermakers are able to force 12.2 turnovers per game while drawing 17.8 personal fouls. They are giving up 30.5% on shots from distance and they are 126th in college in PPG allowed (70.0). The Boilermakers defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.2% (758 of 1,677) and they concede 30.6 boards per game as a unit. They are ranked 273rd in D-1 in allowing assists with 432 relinquished for the campaign.

When they last played, the Illinois Fighting Illini took home the win by a final score of 93-73 when they faced Michigan. In relation to team rebounding, Illinois permitted Michigan to pull down 28 in all (10 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 22.2% from three-point range by connecting on 4 out of 18 and finished the game at 13 out of 19 at the free throw line (68.4%). The Fighting Illini allowed Michigan to make 28 out of 61 attempts from the floor which had them at 45.9% for this contest. When the game finished, the Fighting Illini finished the game shooting 34 out of 73 from the field which had them sitting at 46.6%. When talking about shots from beyond the arc, Illinois made 14 out of 37 tries (37.8%). They were able to make 11 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 73.3%. Michigan was called for 16 fouls for this game which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for a total of 15 shots. They also coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 4 steals for the matchup. The Fighting Illini were able to collect 21 defensive rebounds and 18 offensive boards for a total of 39 in the game.

Tre White was important for the Fighting Illini in this matchup. He racked up 19 points in his 32 minutes on the court, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He made 6 out of 10 in the matchup for a rate of 60.0%, and added 11 rebounds.

Illinois has a win-loss record of 19-11 on the campaign. The Fighting Illini have committed 16.3 fouls every game and they hit 75.5% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 14.7 times per game (103rd in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.5 times per game. Illinois has totaled 2,507 pts so far this year (83.6 per game) and they snag 42.9 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Fighting Illini are shooting 44.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 175th in college hoops.

The Illinois defense concedes 32.4% on three-point shots (192 of 593) and opponents are making 71.3% of their foul shots. They allow 12.2 assists and 34.1 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 95th and 178th in those categories on the defensive end. The Fighting Illini on the defensive end are ranked 221st in college in points per game surrendered with 73.3. They are able to force 9.6 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.5% from the floor (59th in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Purdue

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