The No. 18 Purdue Boilermakers (21-9, 13-6 Big Ten) will continue jockeying for seeding in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament when they face the Illinois Fighting Illini (19-11, 11-8) on Friday night. Purdue is in a three-way tie with Wisconsin and Maryland for third place in the conference standings heading into the final game of the regular season. The Boilermakers lost four straight games in February, but they have responded with wins over UCLA and Rutgers. Illinois is coming off back-to-back wins over Iowa and then-No. 15 Michigan, moving into a tie with Oregon for seventh place.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on Friday at the State Farm Center. Illinois is favored by 4.5 points in the latest Illinois vs. Purdue odds, while the over/under is 158.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Purdue vs. Illinois picks, you’ll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 18 of the 2024-25 season on a 221-162 betting roll (+1895) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Purdue-Illinois. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:
- Illinois vs. Purdue spread: Illinois -4.5
- Illinois vs. Purdue over/under: 158.5 points
- Illinois vs. Purdue money line: Illinois -187, Purdue +156
- Illinois vs. Purdue picks: See picks here
- Illinois vs. Purdue streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Illinois can cover
Illinois lost three consecutive games last month, but all of those losses came against teams ranked inside the top 11 nationally. The Fighting Illini snapped their losing skid with an 81-61 win over Iowa last Tuesday, as sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic had 22 points, five assists and four rebounds. They built on their momentum with a 93-73 win over then-No. 15 Michigan on Sunday, with four starters scoring in double figures.
Junior guard Tre White posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 6 of 10 from the floor and 3 of 4 from the perimeter. Junior guard Kylan Boswell had 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis added 17 points, six boards and four dimes. The Illini are 8-1 in their last nine games in March, and they have covered the spread in five of their last seven home games against Purdue. See which team to pick here.
Why Purdue can cover
Purdue suffered its first four-game losing streak in five years last month, but it has responded with dominant wins over UCLA and Rutgers at home. The Boilermakers beat the Scarlet Knights by 29 points on Tuesday, as junior point guard Braden Smith finished with 23 points, nine assists and seven 3-pointers. He is the favorite to win the Big Ten Player of the Year honors, averaging 16.3 points, 8.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds.
Junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn leads Purdue with 19.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, scoring 29 points against UCLA last week. Junior guard Fletcher Loyer provides additional experience, averaging 14.1 points per game. Purdue has covered the spread in 12 of its last 17 games, and it has won five straight games against Illinois. See which team to pick here.
How to make Illinois vs. Purdue picks
The model has simulated Purdue vs. Illinois 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Illinois vs. Purdue, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Purdue vs. Illinois spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 221-162 roll on top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.
