Iowa at Illinois 03/13/25 - NCAAB Picks & Predictions

On Thursday, the Iowa Hawkeyes (17-15) face off against the Illinois Fighting Illini (20-11) at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana in the 2nd round of the Big Ten Tournament. Get ready for the college basketball season with our college basketball picks.

Illinois comes into this matchup on a three-game winning streak and has won three of their last five games. The Fighting Illini secured an 88-80 victory over Purdue, with Will Riley contributing an impressive 22 points. This season, the top scorer for Illinois is Kasparas Jakucionis, who averages 15.2 points per game. Following him is Tomislav Ivisic, the team’s second-highest scorer, averaging 12.6 points. Ivisic also leads the team in rebounding, pulling down an average of 7.6 rebounds per game. On the playmaking front, Kasparas Jakucionis stands out by leading the team with 4.8 assists per game. Over their last five matchups, Illinois has been putting up an average of 80.6 points, while maintaining an overall season average of 83.7 points per game.

Iowa enters this game on a two-game winning streak, but has dropped three of their last five games. In the Big Ten Tournament's opening round, the Hawkeyes secured a 77-70 victory over Ohio State, with Payton Sandfort contributing 17 points. This season, Owen Freeman is Iowa's top scorer, maintaining an average of 16.7 points per game. Sandfort follows closely as the second-highest scorer, averaging 16.3 points. Additionally, he leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.7 per game. Brock Harding is the team's leader in assists, averaging 5.4 each game. Recently, Iowa's defense has been allowing an average of 75.6 points in their last five games, while their offense posts an impressive average of 82.3 points per game.

Earlier this season, Illinois emerged victorious over Iowa, and now the Hawkeyes are driven by a sense of revenge and determination. Meanwhile, Illinois aims to fend off an upset by kickstarting their offensive strategy right from the beginning of the game. Final Score Prediction, Illinois Fighting Illini win and cover, 87-72.