Syracuse vs Illinois Odds & Predictions (Nov. 29)

• Illinois is an 11.5-point favorite over Syracuse for their matchup Tuesday night
• At 3-3, the Orange have lost two in a row, while the Fighting Illini are off to a 5-1 start
• Odds, analysis and predictions for the Syracuse vs Illinois matchup can be found below

It hasn’t exactly been a murderers’ row of opponents so far for the Syracuse Orange (3-3, 0-0 ACC), yet they’re mired in a 2-game slide.

They level up next game, however, as they face off with the 16th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The college basketball odds have the Illini as hefty 11.5-point favorites, with the Orange a distant +500 on the moneyline.

Syracuse vs Illinois Odds

Odds as of November 28 at FanDuel Sportsbook. Claim the DraftKings new user bonus to bet on the Syracuse vs Illinois game.

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It all gets underway Tuesday (Nov 29) from State Farm Center in Champagne, IL at 7:30pm ET, in a game that can be seen live on ESPN.

Syracuse Betting Analysis

Syracuse is trying to regroup after a 73-72 loss to the Bryant Bulldogs — a game they were favored in by 9.5 points, surrendering the winning bucket with 0.8 seconds to play.

Granted, they were without stud forward Benny Williams, who played just nine minutes because of a stomach bug. His status for Tuesday is still listed as questionable. The lineup was even thinner after freshman Judah Mintz was ejected in the first half. He currently leads the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game.

Head coach Jim Boeheim did see some other players step to the forefront, including frosh guard Justin Taylor, who came off the bench and had a career and game-high 25 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field.

Okay, JT

Taylor has a game-high 18

🖥 https://t.co/NF8im6ZJ8Q pic.twitter.com/mDcsACRJsE

— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) November 26, 2022

Senior center Jessie Edwards also came up large, putting up 12 points and a personal-best 21 rebounds for his second double-double of the campaign.

One player that needs to get going is senior guard Joe Girard, who had just five points on 1-for-12 shooting, with four rebounds and two assists. He’s gone 2-for-22 in the last two games, including a microscopic 1-for-12 from three-point range.

As a team, Syracuse sits 70th in KenPom, ranking 47th in adjusted offense, but 99th in adjusted defense. They are surrendering 70 points per game, which is tied for 202nd in the NCAA.

Illinois Betting Analysis

The Illini cruised last time out, beating up on the Lindenwood Lions 92-59, covering a massive 32.5-point spread.

Perhaps the best news was the emergence of their starting backcourt, after a quiet first couple of weeks of play.

Freshman point guard Skyy Clark dropped a career-high 19 points and added four assists on a crisp 8-or-9 effort from the field. He had been averaging 7.6 points on 52.6% shooting across his first five games.

SKYY CLARK IS GOING NUCLEAR 🔥

17 points and counting

pic.twitter.com/yXqJY4iqfP

— Illini Fan Nation (@TheIlliniFN) November 26, 2022

Sophomore RJ Melendez also picked up the pace, scoring a career-high 16 on 7-for-11 shooting, while grabbing four rebounds. Terrence Shannon Jr, who leads the team in scoring, also chipped in with 16 points.

As a team, the Illini put the Lions in a vice, holding them to 41.4% shooting from the field, including a 5-for-18 mark from distance (27.8%).

Illinois finds themselves 22nd in KenPom rankings, with an adjusted defense that ranks 20th, and offense that ranks 36th. On the year, they’ve been holding teams to 61.5 points per game (47th in NCAA), while putting up 84.7 points on the other end, good for 21st in the nation.

Orange vs Fighting Illini Prediction

This is only the fourth all-time meeting between these two schools, and the first time since 1995. Illinois holds a 2-1 series lead.

In games against unranked opposition, the Fighting Illini are 4-0, with an average margin of victory of 35.3 points. Against ranked schools, they are 1-1, and both games settled in under double digits.

Syracuse has not fared well against good teams as of late, with a 1-7 mark against the spread in their last eight against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.

While the Illini are 4-1 ATS in their last five, they’ve not been a great bet following a win, covering just three of 11 games.

Syracuse has only lost once by double figures this season, and assuming they get a little bit more from Williams, I can see them making a game out of this one.

Pick:

• Syracuse +11.5 (-110); 1 unit to win 0.91 units