Illinois vs Purdue Picks, Predictions & Best Bets

• The 4th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers are 5.5-point favorites at home vs the no. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini
• Illinois is riding an eight-game winning streak
• See below for my Illinois vs Purdue picks, predictions and best bets

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The two most efficient offenses in college basketball collide Saturday, in one of the must-see matchups in college basketball this weekend, as the 4th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten) host the 11th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini (17-2, 7-1 Big Ten)

Despite Illinois riding an 8-game win streak, the online sportsbooks are still siding with the home team as the betting favorite in the college basketball odds.

My Illinois vs Purdue prediction has both offenses overwhelming each team’s sturdy defenses, and pushing the score Over the total.

Tip-off is scheduled for 3pm ET from Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN, with FOX providing the broadcast coverage.

Illinois vs Purdue Odds

Purdue is listed as a 5.5-point favorite, and is a short -265 on the moneyline at home. A wager for the Illini to win outright has +215 odds, and they are getting -110 odds as a +5.5 ‘dog on the spread. The total checks in at 152.5 points.

Odds as of Jan 24. New customers can claim a FanDuel promo code get a bonus to bet on college basketball.

Illinois vs Purdue Picks and Prediction

• Under 152.5 Points (-110) at BetMGM

Both of these teams are placed firmly in the Top 10 of the latest March Madness odds, and they are about as close to mirror images of opponents as you can find.

Illinois comes into this one riding an 8-game win streak, including last game’s 89-70 drubbing of the Maryland Terrapins to move to 7-1 in Big Ten conference play.

The Illini are KenPom’s top-ranked team in offensive efficiency, and six of their last eight wins have been by double digits. They’re a top-25 team in 3-point shot attempts and they hit a cool 35.2% clip, but five rotation guys are delivering at a 36.6% rate or better — and three players who operate in the power forward and center spots.

Defensively, the Illini can also lock it down: they rank fourth in the Big Ten, allowing just 67.6 points per game.

They’re also pretty battle-tested, with six games against ranked teams already this season. And while they are just 3-3 in those games, Illinois was in every game but one.

Illinois vs Ranked Teams This Season

On the other side, you have the Boiler Makers, who just had their 9-game win streak snapped last game in a close 69-67 loss to the UCLA Bruins, dropping them to 7-1 in Big Ten play.

The 67 points is uncharacteristically low for Purdue, their second-lowest output of the year behind only 58 points they put up in a 23-point drubbing at the hands of 10th-ranked Iowa State on December 6.

Purdue is second in offensive efficiency, and they can score with the best of them. In 19 games this season, the Boilermakers have scored at least 80 points in 14 of them.

They also do damage from downtown, hitting at a stellar 38.4% clip, which puts them inside the Top 20 in all of college basketball.

Defensively, they happen to be just behind Illinois for fifth in scoring defense in the Big Ten. Over their last 10 games, the Boilermakers have not let one opponent touch 74 points, with six failing to strike 68.

But offense has never been a problem in this head-to-head, and it shouldn’t be as they’ve proven they can generate scoring better than anyone else in college hoops. The Over has cashed six times in the last eight meetings, and expect them to light it up again Saturday.

Illinois vs Purdue Best Bets

• Andrej Stojakovic Over 13.5 points (+102) at FanDuel

Andrej Stojakovic is coming off his season-high in scoring, lighting up Maryland for 30 on a crisp 9-for-18 shooting, while also pulling down nine boards. Peja’s son also dropped a season-best four 3-pointers in the win.

It’s the first time in 11 games the junior wing has led the team in scoring, but he heated up for just the right moment, as he enters the team’s biggest game of the season so far.

Andrej Stojakovic vs Maryland today🔥:

30 PTS | 4-7 3PT | 9 REB pic.twitter.com/LAMh4ZoO1k

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) January 22, 2026

Stojakovic has only topped 14 points twice in his last seven games, but he’s been pretty good in big games, scoring at least 17 points — and piling up over 20 in three of those games — against ranked teams this season.

• Braden Smith Under 8.5 assists (-112) at bet365

For just the second time all season, senior guard Braden Smith failed to lead the Boilermakers in assists, finishing with just four in the loss to UCLA, to go along with four turnovers.

That carried over from the previous game, when Smith turned it over six times, against just five assists, in their close win over USC. In total, he has picked up nine assists in a game just twice in his last seven games.

Illinois is not exactly the get-right team for Smith, as he has only topped his 8.5 assist line once against the Fighting Illini in four career games.