The Big Ten men’s basketball season continues tonight as the No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini (15-8, 7-6) travel to Minneapolis to take on the Golden Gophers (12-11, 4-8).
Illinois is looking to get back on track following their loss at Rutgers, 82-73 on Wednesday. The Illinois are 5-5 in their last ten games. This season they are 3-4 on the road.
Minnesota snapped a modest two-game losing streak Tuesday with a 69-61 win at Penn State. The Golden Gophers are 10-5 at home this season.
Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Game details & how to watch Fighting Illini at Golden Gophers
- Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025
- Time: 6:00PM EST
- Site: Williams Arena
- City: Minneapolis, MN
- Network/Streaming: BTN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates.
Game odds for Fighting Illini at Golden Gophers
*odds courtesy of BetMGM
- Odds: Illinois Fighting Illini (-285), Minnesota Golden Gophers (+230)
- Spread: Fighting Illini -6.5
- Total: 146.5 points
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Expert picks & predictions for Illinois at Minnesota
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Fighting Illini vs Golden Gophers Best Bets
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Fighting Illini & Golden Gophers game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Illinois on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Minnesota at +6.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 146.5.
Fighting Illini vs Golden Gophers: Top betting trends and recent stats
- Illinois has won 7 straight games against Minnesota
- Illinois’ last 3 versus Minnesota have gone over the Total
- This season Illinois has failed to cover the spread in 3 away games against teams with worse records
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on NBCSports.com!
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· Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
· Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
· Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
· Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
