Illinois vs Kentucky Picks and Prediction – 3/23/2025

The Illinois Fighting Illini will continue their trip in the NCAA tournament Sunday with the second round matchup in Milwaukee against Kentucky. Illinois is a six seed in the tournament coming into this matchup 22 wins and 12 losses overall having won four of the last five including a 13 point victory against Xavier in round one of the dance Friday night. Defensively Illinois set the tone in round one giving up 73 points of 40.3% shooting from the floor. The Illini won the rebounding battle by 20 and forced 5 turnovers in the win. Offensively Illinois rolled scoring 86 points and 40.3% shooting and knocked down 12 triples in the game. Stay in action with our College Basketball Picks.

Will Riley led the way for the Illinois offense in round one with 22 points on 12 shots in the game. Big man Tomislav Ivisic added a second best 20 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Kasparas Jakucionis cored 16 points on 11 shots and Kylan Boswell added 15 points on eight shots as the 4th starter for Illinois in double digits.

The Kentucky Wildcats will continue their quest through the NCAA tournament as they come into Sunday with 23 wins and 11 losses overall having won four of the last five following the 19 point blowout of Troy in round one of the tournament on Friday. Defensively Kentucky controlled the game giving up to 57 points on 34.9% shooting 25% from beyond the arc. The Wildcats won the rebounding battle by 1 and forced 11 turnovers total. Offensively, Kentucky rolled, scoring 76 points including 41 in the second half on 47.5% shooting from the floor, and knocked down 10 triples overall.

Otega Oweh leads the Kentucky offense this season averaging 16.2 points per game overall. Jaxson Robinson is second on the roster having 13 points and Lamont Butler chips in 11.5 points per game. Koby Brea also averages 11.5 points this season in 27.5 minutes per game. Big man Amari Williams averages 11 points per game this season for Kentucky and leads the team pulling 8.5 rebounds and dishing out 3.1 assists.

Kentucky is the better team in this matchup, and it will show from the opening minutes on Sunday. Look for the Wildcats to control this game on both sides of the ball as they use their depth and talent all over the floor. Take Kentucky to continue their winning ways they do the job to get the win and cover in round two to punch their ticket into next weekend. Final Score Prediction, Kentucky Wildcats win and cover 77-68.