Upcoming Match-ups
Tmrw
1
May
7:30 PM
MIA
BOS
+14
-14
200.5
10:00 PM
DAL
LAC
-3
+3
209.5

Illinois vs Wisconsin Odds and Picks

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in College Basketball

Updated Feb 26, 2021 · 6:19 PM PST

Kofi Cockburn happy reactiopn
Illinois' Kofi Cockburn, right, celebrates one of his shots with Illinois' Da'Monte Williams (20) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
  • Wisconsin is a two-point favorite at home against Illinois on Saturday in a Big Ten game at the Kohl Center in Madison
  • Illinois will be without standout guard Ayo Dosunmu, who has a broken nose
  • The odds and best bet for Illinois-Wisconsin can be found below

Minus its best player, Illinois will continue to chase a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament when it visits Wisconsin at 2:00 pm ET Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Fifth-ranked Illinois (17-6 overall, 13-4 Big Ten) beat Nebraska 86-70 on Thursday as a 13.5-point home favorite without junior guard Ayo Dosunmu. He sustained a broken nose two nights earlier in a loss to Michigan State and will miss Saturday’s game.

The #23 Wisconsin Badgers (16-8, 10-7) ended a two-game losing streak Sunday with a 68-51 road victory over Northwestern as six-point chalk.

Illinois vs Wisconsin Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Illinois +110 +2 (-118) Over 137.5 (-110)
Wisconsin -138 -2 (-110) Under 137.5 (-110)

Odds as of Feb. 26 at FoxBet.

Winning Without Ayo

Illinois won for the eighth time in its last nine games Thursday even without Dosunmu. He is ranked as the sixth-best player in the nation by KenPom.com and is averaging 21.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists a game.

The Fighting Illini, though, still have sophomore center Kofi Cockburn in their lineup. He scored 24 points against Nebraska on 8-of-10 shooting from both the floor and foul line.

Cockburn has 15 double-doubles this season. He also has averages of 17.7 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 67.5%.

Freshman guard Adam Miller and junior wing Jacob Grandison combined for 32 points to help pick up the scoring slack with Dosunmu sidelined. Miller scored 18 points and Grandison had 14 off the bench.

It was the most points for Miller since registering 28 in the season opener against North Carolina A&T. A transfer from Holy Cross, Grandison reached double figures for the fourth time this season.

Freshman guard Andre Curbelo nearly had a triple-double as he finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. He instead settled for his first career double-double.

Senior guard Trent Frazier was held to seven points on 1-of-9 shooting after scoring 22 in the previous game against Michigan State. He is Illinois’ third-leading scorer with a 10.6 average.

Illinois is ninth in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency with 118.3 points per 100 possessions.

Odds to Win March Madness 2025: NCAA Men’s Tournament Futures Tracker
Read More

Wisconsin Model of Consistency

The victory at Northwestern helped illustrate the consistency of Wisconsin’s program. It gave the Badgers at least 10 wins in Big Ten play for the 18th time in the last 20 seasons.

Senior forward Micah Potter scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds, helping Wisconsin to a 31-15 edge in bench points. His two highest-scoring outputs of the season have come in the last two games as he had 23 points in a loss to Iowa.

Potter is one of just two Wisconsin players scoring in double figures with a 12.4 average. He is also averaging 6.2 rebounds.

Senior guard D’Mitrik Trice’s 13.5 scoring average leads Wisconsin. He had 13 points and five assists against Northwestern.

Senior guard Brad Davison and freshman guard Jonathan Davis both had 12 points and three assists. Senior forward Tyler Wahl chipped with 10 points after scoring just five points and making 3 of 18 field goal attempts in the previous three games.

Davis has scored in double digits in four of the last six games after doing so just twice in the first 18 games.

Illinois Looks for Sweep

Illinois has beaten Wisconsin in each of their last two meetings to end the Badgers’ 15-game winning streak in the series. On Feb. 6, Illinois won 75-60 at home as a four-point favorite.

Dosunmu had a triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, overshadowing Cockburn’s 23 points and 14 rebounds. Illinois held a commanding 44-19 advantage on the boards and shot 52.8% (28 of 53).

YouTube video

Trice had 22 points and four steals for Wisconsin, which made just 4 of 24 shots from 3-point range for 16.7%.

There is no question Dosunmu is a great player. However, Illinois has a very talented roster and still has enough to beat Wisconsin and sweep the season series.

Pick: Illinois +2 (-118)

Author Image