Illinois vs Marquette Odds, Lines and Spread (Nov. 15)

• No. 11 Illinois is an 8.5-point road favorite at Marquette
• Illinois will play its final game without suspended Kofi Cockburn
• See below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction

No. 11 Illinois (2-0) is an 8.5-point road favorite at Marquette at 7pm ET Monday on FS1. The Illini have drubbed Jackson State and Arkansas State by an average of 31.5 points in their first two, while playing without suspended center Kofi Cockburn, a preseason All-American.

Marquette (2-0) opened the Shaka Smart era with consecutive home victories over SIU-Edwardsville and New Hampshire but did not cover either game as a double-digit favorite.

Illinois vs Marquette Odds

Odds from FanDuel on Nov. 15

Welcome Back

Illinois starting guards and key contributors Andre Curbelo and Trent Frazier were back in the starting lineup in the Illini’s blowout 92-53 victory over Arkansas State on Friday.

Curbelo, who missed the season-opening 71-47 victory over Jackson State with a concussion, had eight points, seven assists, four rebounds and one technical foul — for blowing a kiss at the Arkansas State bench after making a basket — he said he was being heckled.

Curbelo was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2020-21, averaging 9.1 points and 4.2 assists, and will be the primary ball-handler following the loss of NBA first-round pick Ayo Dosunmu.

Frazier had 12 points and four rebounds after missing the opener with a shoulder injury. A complementary piece to Dosunmu and Cockburn last season, Frazier is expected to add more on the offensive end after averaging 10.2 points a year ago.

Marquette in a Major Rebuild

Wisconsin native Shaka Smart brings an inexperienced group into his first season with the Golden Eagles, who lost five starters and their five leading scorers from a 13-14 team. The final blow came when 6-foot-11 big man Dawson Garcia transferred to North Carolina in June after averaging 13 points and 6.6 rebounds a year ago.

The Golden Eagles will rely on a transfer class that includes G Darryl Morsell (Maryland), F Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Clemson), G Tyler Kolek (George Mason) and F Kur Kuath (Oklahoma).

Morsell, known for his defensive work in the ACC,  had 26 points and three 3-pointers against New Hampshire. Justin Lewis had a double-double against New Hampshire. He averaged 7.8 points and 5.4 points off the bench a year ago and is counted on for more.

Guard Greg Elliott, who averaged 18 minutes a game last year, will sit out the game, the third of his four-game disciplinary suspension.

See You Soon

Illinois 7-foot center Kofi Cockburn, the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, will miss Marquette while serving the final game of a three-game suspension leveled by the NCAA for violating its name, image and likeness policy.

Cockburn sold apparel in June, before the new NIL rules took effect.

Cockburn, who averaged 17.7 pints and 9.5 rebounds per game a year, has continued to practice with the team and plays simulated games on a treadmill, logging as many minutes on the device as he might play in a typical game, to keep him conditioned when he is eligible to return against Cincinnati on Nov. 22 in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.

Filling In for Kofi

The Illini has a plus-22 rebound margin through two games without Cockburn, and they received solid play from 6-ffoot-10 sophomore forward Coleman Hawkins, who is more of an inside-outside threat.

Hawkins set career highs with 17 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots against Arkansas State after going for 13 points and eight rebounds in the season opener against Jackson State.

🏀 🚨 #𝗕𝟭𝗚 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀

Your 2021-22 Preseason All-#B1GMBBall Team:

🏀 5 1st-team All-#B1G players
🏀 4 All-Freshman Team honorees from 2020-21
🏀️ 2 #B1G individual award winners

🗞️ https://t.co/3JEgX4w3uF pic.twitter.com/HiCrAEWjpx

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) October 27, 2021

Florida transfer Omar Payne has started the first two games at the fiveand had three blocked shots against Arkansas State but has not seen a lot of playing time as the Illini has gone small.  Illinois out-rebounded Arkansas State 56-32 and had 24 offensive rebounds.

Payne is not the only transfer contributing. Guard Alfonso Plummer, a 6-foot-1 transfer from Utah, had 17 points and three 3-pointers. He made 114 threes and shot 39.9% from distance in his two seasons with the Utes.

By the Numbers

Illinois has won nine of the 14 games in the series, although the teams have not met since 1993.

Even without Cockburn, the Illini have more than enough talent and beef to beat a rebuilding Marquette team still trying to see how the pieces fit.

The pick: Illinois -8.5 (-110).