Illinois vs Wisconsin: Expert College Basketball Predictions For February 18, 2025
Illinois and Wisconsin clash in a Big Ten matchup on Tuesday night in college basketball. Get college basketball picks for today around Illinois vs Wisconsin battling in a conference showdown in Madison, WI!
Here’s a breakdown of predictions and picks for this Big Ten matchup tipping off at 8:30PM ET on February 18, 2025!
Illinois vs Wisconsin Game Details
Date: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Time: 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT
Broadcast: FS1
Location: Kohl Center, Madison, WI
Spread: Wisconsin -4.5 | Total: 160.5
Illinois vs Wisconsin Betting Preview
Every couple of years, a new advanced stat catches the eye of the college basketball lexicon. Bettors incorporate it into their handicaps. Coaches insert it into their gameplans. Programs begin to copy others who are having success.
At the moment, the taste du jour in college basketball is shot volume. Shot volume is a metric that captures how many shot attempts a team can generate, particularly off turnovers and offensive rebounds.
The more shots you take thanks to mistakes that your opponents have made, the less efficient you have to be on offense.
Texas A&M is the undisputed king in that department right now. The Aggies are 20-5 this season and have won seven of their last eight games in the SEC, yet they have an offense that is No. 292 in the country in effective field goal shooting.
They rebound 42.4-percent of their missed shots and their defense is top-30 in the country in forcing turnovers.
That’s how you make up for having arguably the worst shooting offense among major-conference teams.
Wisconsin is on the complete opposite end of the shot volume spectrum, and it’s a big reason why a lot of analysts are a little gun-shy in showing their support for the Badgers.
Wisconsin is shooting 39.1-percent from three-point range in Big Ten play and the Badgers lead the conference in effective field goal shooting.
Greg Gard deserves a ton of credit for opening up his offense this season, and the Badgers are playing some fun, fast-paced basketball. But what happens if/when those three-pointers are not falling?
Wisconsin is No. 243 in the country in offensive rebounding rate and the Badgers’ defense is No. 317 in turnover rate.
They can’t generate shot volume opportunities, and that’s a big reason why Wisconsin lost the first meeting at Illinois.
Illinois vs Wisconsin Predictions
The Illini shot 42.2-percent from the floor against Wisconsin in their December 10 meeting in Champaign, but they generated 15 offensive rebounds. Illinois is top-20 in the country in both offensive rebounding and defensive rebounding.
The Badgers are going to need to shoot nearly 40-percent from three-point range because if they don’t, the Illini have several avenues to steal points and keep this one close.
Illinois vs Wisconsin Prediction: Illinois +4.5
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