UCLA Bruins vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 02/11/2025

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Venue:  State Farm Center, Champaign, IL

Where to Watch:  Peacock

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  UCLA +5.5, Illinois -5.5; Over/Under:  147.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  UCLA +5.5, Illinois -5.5; Over/Under:  147.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  UCLA +5.5, Illinois -5.5; Over/Under:  147.5 points

UCLA Bruins:  18-6 (9-4) (5th place, Big Ten)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  16-8 (8-6) (7th place, Big Ten)

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UCLA Bruins:  5-0  last 5

Illinois Fighting Illini:  3-2  last 5

UCLA is entering this game with an 18-6 record overall, a 9-4 record in conference games, and they are 3-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Penn State Nittany Lions in their last game. Kobe Johnson led the team in points per game in that game with 15 while Skyy Clark and Sebastian Mack each were next on the team with 14. Kobe Johnson led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Kobe Johnson led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 47% from the field, 26.3% from 3-point range, and 73.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 63.9 PPG against them. UCLA has an ATS record of 13-10-1 this season and their O/U record is 10-14.

Illinois is entering this game with a 16-8 record overall, an 8-6 conference record, and they are 10-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their last game. Will Riley led the team in points in that game with 27 while Kasparas Jakučionis was next on the team with 24. Will Riley led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Tomislav Ivišić led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 63.2% from the field, 56.3% from 3-point range, and 87.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 85.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 71 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 12-12 this season and their O/U record is 14-10.

The current betting odds have Illinois listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Illinois has looked good in their games this season with their 16-8 record overall and their 8-6 conference record which has them right in the middle of the Big Ten. They have looked good on their home court this season too with their 10-3 home record. Meanwhile, UCLA has looked really good in their games this season with their 18-6 record overall and their 9-4 conference record which has them in the top half of the Big Ten. They have been rolling over teams lately with 7 wins in a row now and have a ton of momentum on their side, but they haven't been a great road team this year with their 3-3 road record. They have looked a lot better lately, but they also haven't had to travel to the East during their winning streak and that has taken a toll on them this season. They lost all 3 conference games this season that they had to leave the West Coast for, and their last loss was at Rutgers. They weren't keeping these games close either with all 3 losses being by more than 6 points. Illinois has been up and down lately, but they are coming off a big road win over Minnesota in their last one and have some momentum to carry over into this one. Illinois has been a solid team in the Big Ten this season with some impressive wins too so this is the kind of game where they can take advantage of UCLA in this situation that they haven't played well in all year. The best way to place a bet here is on Illinois to cover the spread in this game. 

UCLA Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, February 11, 2025 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Illinois 78 UCLA 67.

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UCLA Bruins: 3-8 ATS after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 23-16 OVER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 24-15 1H OVER off a home win. 13-7 1H OVER off a home win against a conference rival. 28-19 1H OVER after playing a home game.

Illinois Fighting Illini: 23-14 ATS when the total is 140 to 149.5. 22-9 ATS after a win by 15 points or more. 9-1 ATS after a game where they made 55% of their shots or better. 22-11 OVER off a win against a conference rival. 18-9 OVER after playing a road game. 25-14 OVER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%).

UCLA Bruins:  E. Freeny (G) Out - Redshirt. D. Williams (F) Out - Redshirt. E. Manjikian (F) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Williams (G) Out - Redshirt.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  T. White (G) Questionable - Illness. T. Rodgers (G) Out - Redshirt.

"Penn State's dealing with some injuries. Their starting center is out, and number five is out for them as well." - Mick Cronin after his team’s win against PSU in their last game. 

“Our ceiling is really high. These guys are really talented players. They’re all, at some point in their careers, next level. I’m not afraid to say that, and I’ve said it since day one.” - Brad Underwood after his team’s win against Minnesota in their last game. 

D. Andrews 

T. Bilodeau 

S. Clark 

E. Dailey 

K. Johnson

K. Boswell 

B. Humrichous 

T. Ivisic 

K. Jakucionis 

T. White

PPG: T. Bilodeau (13.8)

APG: K. Johnson (3)

Reb/G: K. Johnson (5.9)

PPG: K. Jakucionis (15.6)

APG: K. Jakucionis (5.2)

Reb/G: T. Ivisic (8.6)

Coaches:

UCLA Bruins: Mick Cronin (6th season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (8th season)