Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/07/2023

Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Venue:  State Farm Center, Champaign, IL

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +18.5, Illinois -18.5; Over/Under:  134.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +18.5, Illinois -18.5; Over/Under:  134.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Minnesota +18.5, Illinois -18.5; Over/Under:  134.5 points

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  7-15 (1-11) (14th place, Big Ten)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  16-7 (7-5) (4th place, Big Ten)

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Minnesota Golden Gophers:  0-5  last 5

Illinois Fighting Illini:  3-2  last 5

Minnesota is coming into this game with a 7-15 record overall and they are 1-6 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 1-11 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game on a 7 game losing streak with losses coming against the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Purdue Boilermakers, the Michigan Wolverines, the Indiana Hoosiers, the Northwestern Wildcats, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and the Maryland Terrapins in their last game. Pharrel Payne led the team in points in that game with 14 while Joshua Ola-Joseph and Jaden Henley each were next on the team with 8 points. Ta'Lon Cooper and Jaden Henley each led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Jaden Henley led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 34.2% from the field, 14.3% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 61.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.3 PPG against them. Minnesota has an ATS record of 8-13-1 this season and their O/U record is 7-15.

Illinois is coming into this game with a 16-7 record overall and they are 11-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 7-5 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Iowa Hawkeyes in their last game. Matthew Mayer led the team in points in that game with 21 while Dain Dainja was next on the team with 17 points. Jayden Epps led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Coleman Hawkins and Dain Dainja each led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 49.1% from the field, 31.8% from 3-point range, and 78.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 64.1 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 14-8-1 this season and their O/U record is 10-12-1.

The current betting odds have Illinois listed as an 18.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Illinois is 16-7 overall this season with a 7-5 conference record and even though they haven't been the best team in the Big Ten, they are still one of the better teams in the conference this year. They have also been a really good home team with their 11-2 home record and they are coming off a really close road loss against Iowa in their last game so they will be looking to bounce back off a close loss with a big win here at home. Minnesota is the worst team in the Big Ten Conference this season. They are 7-15 overall, losing double the amount of games they have won this season, and they are 1-11 in their conference games too. They have also been terrible in road games with a 1-6 road record and they have lost 7 games in a row now entering this one with no momentum on their side. Illinois has a very good team that will be able to dispose of Minnesota easily here on their home court. The best way to place a bet here is on Minnesota to cover the spread in this game.

Minnesota Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, February 7, 2023 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Illinois 79 Minnesota 56.

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Minnesota Golden Gophers: 10-18 ATS in road games. 17-27 ATS after 3 consecutive conference games. 10-3 UNDER when the total is 130 to 139.5.

Illinois Fighting Illini: 14-8 ATS in all games. 17-7 ATS after a road game where both teams scored 75 points or more. 14-7 UNDER after successfully covering the spread in 4 or more consecutive games.

Minnesota Golden Gophers:  D. Garcia (F) Ques Tues - Ankle. B. Carrington (G) Mid Feb - Leg. I. Ihnen (F) out for season - Knee. P. Fox (F) out for season - Knee.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  L. Goode (G) Mid Feb - Foot.

“I get it. Fans want to win, and we want fans that want to win. But at the same time, I want to be patient with this group and continue to build and grow and work with them and understand that they are put in this spot. And again, that’s not an excuse. But we have to figure it out.” - Ben Johnson on his team’s awful season this year.

“Really good college basketball game, two teams that played awfully hard and fought awfully hard. My hats off to them, they made a few plays and obviously a lot of free throws.” - Brad Underwood after his team’s loss against Iowa in their last game.

J. Battle 

T. Cooper 

D. Garcia 

J. Ola-Joseph 

T. Samuels

S. Clark 

C. Hawkins 

M. Mayer 

R. Melendez 

T. Shannon

PPG: D. Garcia (14.9)

APG: T. Cooper (5.6)

Reb/G: D. Garcia (6.3)

PPG: T. Shannon Jr. (17)

APG: C. Hawkins (3.2)

Reb/G: C. Hawkins (6.5)

Coaches:

Minnesota Golden Gophers: Ben Johnson (2nd season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (6th season)