Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/31/2023

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Venue:  State Farm Center, Champaign, IL

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Nebraska +14, Illinois -14; Over/Under:  136.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Nebraska +14, Illinois -14; Over/Under:  136.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Nebraska +14, Illinois -14; Over/Under:  136.5 points

Nebraska Cornhuskers:  10-12 (3-8) (13th place, Big Ten)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  15-6 (6-4) (4th place, Big Ten)

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Nebraska Cornhuskers:  1-4  last 5

Illinois Fighting Illini:  4-1  last 5

Nebraska is coming into this game with a 10-12 record overall and they are 2-7 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 3-8 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game on a 3 game losing streak with losses coming against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Northwestern Wildcats, and the Maryland Terrapins in their last game. Derrick Walker led the team in points in that game with 16 while Sam Hoiberg was next on the team with 15 points. Sam Griesel led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Derrick Walker led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 53.3% from the field, 42.9% from 3-point range, and 60% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 65.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.4 PPG against them. Nebraska has an ATS record of 7-15 this season and their O/U record is 6-15-1.

Illinois is coming into this game with a 15-6 record overall and they are 10-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 6-4 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers in their last game. Matthew Mayer led the team in points in that game with 26 while Jayden Epps was next on the team with 13 points. Coleman Hawkins and Jayden Epps each led the team in assists in that game with 2 while Coleman Hawkins led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 43.1% from the field, 30% from 3-point range, and 61.1% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 63.7 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 12-8-1 this season and their O/U record is 9-11-1.

The current betting odds have Illinois listed as a 14 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Illinois has been having a good season this year with their 15-6 record overall and their 6-4 conference record which is good for the Big Ten right now. They have also been a great home team all year with their 10-2 home record and they have some momentum coming into this one too with 2 wins in a row now. Nebraska hasn't been having a good season at all as they are struggling to even stay above .500 with their 10-12 record overall this year. They have been terrible in their road games with a 2-7 road record and they have been just as bad in their conference games with a 3-8 conference record. They don't even have any momentum lately losing 3 games in a row now and they also have one of the worst ATS records in the Big Ten this season. Illinois is starting to play a lot better lately and they play their best at home so they are going to be looking to continue their run here against a bad team that has been terrible in road games. The best way to place a bet here is on Illinois to cover the spread in this game.

Nebraska Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, January 31, 2023 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Illinois 82 Nebraska 62.

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Nebraska Cornhuskers: 7-15 ATS in all games. 1-7 ATS in road games. 15-7 UNDER in all games.

Illinois Fighting Illini: 21-12 ATS after playing 5 consecutive games as favorite. 14-8 ATS after successfully covering the spread in 2 or more consecutive games. 140-98 UNDER off a win against a conference rival.

Nebraska Cornhuskers:  B. Keita (F) Mid Feb - Ankle. E. Bandoumel (G) out for season - Knee. J. Gary (F) out for season - Shoulder. R. Lloyd Jr. (G) out for season - Redshirt. Q. McPherson (G) out for season - Knee.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  L. Goode (G) Early Feb - Foot.

“It’s not like ‘OK, all the sudden, urgency, now we’re going to start working with them. It’s something where those guys have been very diligent coming in and getting extra work.” - Fred Hoiberg on developing his team’s young talent over the next half of the season. 

"I thought our defense was outstanding. You don’t do that against a Wisconsin team very often." - Brad Underwood after his team’s win against Wisconsin in their last game.

E. Bandoumel 

J. Gary 

S. Griesel 

D. Walker 

C. Wilcher

S. Clark 

C. Hawkins 

M. Mayer 

R. Melendez 

T. Shannon

PPG: D. Walker (13.8)

APG: S. Griesel (4.2)

Reb/G: D. Walker (7.5)

PPG: T. Shannon Jr. (17.4)

APG: C. Hawkins (3.3)

Reb/G: C. Hawkins (6.3)

Coaches:

Nebraska Cornhuskers: Fred Hoiberg (4th season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (6th season)