Iowa vs Illinois: College Basketball Picks For March 13, 2025

Iowa and Illinois clash in a Big Ten Tournament game on Thursday night in college basketball. Get college basketball picks for today around Iowa vs Illinois battling in a Big Ten Tournament showdown in Indianapolis, IN!

Here’s a breakdown of predictions and picks for this Big Ten Tournament game tipping off at 6:30PM ET on March 13, 2025!

Iowa vs Illinois Game Details

Date: Thursday, March 13, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM PT
Broadcast: Big Ten Network
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
Spread: Illinois -10.5 | Total: 166.5

Iowa vs Illinois Betting Preview

Out of the six teams that participated in the Big Ten’s opening round – Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Iowa, Rutgers and USC – the lowest seed out of that group is probably the team that others fear the most.

Iowa clinched its spot in the conference tournament with a road upset at Nebraska on the last day of the season.

The Hawkeyes parlayed that win with another upset over Ohio State in Wednesday’s opening round. Fran McCaffery is no stranger to making a deep run in this tournament, having won the whole event in 2022. Iowa’s offense looked very comfortable in Wednesday’s 77-70 win over the Buckeyes.

The Hawkeyes generated 1.18 points per possession as four players finished in double figures. Iowa shot 54.7-percent from the floor, including 10-for-24 (41.7-percent) from three-point range.

Illinois seemingly fixed its shooting woes at the end of the regular season, but this is not a spot where we feel comfortable backing the Illini as a double-digit favorite.

Illinois did beat Iowa 81-61 at the end of February, but the Hawkeyes were missing senior guard Drew Thelwell (he is back and played 26 minutes on Wednesday).

In Big Ten play, Illinois attempted the second-most three-point attempts while shooting just 30.1-percent from beyond the arc.

That is a dangerous recipe in March, playing in unfamiliar gyms. The last time Illinois played on a neutral court, the Illini went 2-for-26 from three-point range and suffered the worst loss in program history.

It’s not an overwhelming number, but teams in Iowa’s situation have historically been under-valued in these spots.

Iowa vs Illinois Predictions

Over the last three seasons, underdogs of at least five points playing with zero rest have gone 101-92-3 against the spread (52.3-percent), courtesy of college basketball analyst Will Warren.

Yes, the team that is playing on short rest is at a disadvantage, but don’t forget that the rested team only has 24 hours to prepare for their opponent because they don’t know who they are playing.

The average margin of victory in the last ten meetings between these teams is 7.5 points per game. Five of those ten games were decided by five points or fewer.

We’re not comfortable backing Illinois as a double-digit favorite until we see that the Illini can hit some outside shots at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Iowa vs Illinois Prediction: Iowa +10.5

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