The Fighting Illini of Illinois step out of conference and head to Durham, NC and with it an opportunity to build their tournament resume when they take the court against the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils. The game offers Duke an opportunity to flex its muscles outside of the ACC as they fight for a No. 1 seed when the madness begins.
The Blue Devils have won three straight since losing at Clemson two weeks ago. They lead the ACC by 1.5 games over Louisville and Clemson.
The Fighting Illini have lost two straight losing at Wisconsin and to Michigan State. Illinois has dropped to seventh in the Big Ten.
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 Illinois at Duke
- Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025
- Time: 8:00PM EST
- Site: Madison Square Garden
- City: New York, NY
- Network/Streaming: FOX
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 Blue Devils
*odds courtesy of BetMGM
- Odds: Illinois Fighting Illini (+310), Duke Blue Devils (-400)
- Spread: Blue Devils -8.5
- Total: 156.5 points
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Expert picks & predictions for Illinois at Duke
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) is on the unranked Illini to cover the number: Illinois +9.5 (-115)
“This is a neutral court game in the middle of the toughest part of the schedule for these teams, which makes me like the underdog. Duke is playing in an ACC tournament that is really down this season, while Illinois has lost the past two games by 10-plus points. I will back the Illini on the spread as I think their tempo will set them up to make this a competitive game at Madison Square Garden.”
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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.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Fighting Illini & Blue Devils game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Duke Blue Devils at -8.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 156.5.
Fighting Illini vs Blue Devils: Top betting trends and recent stats
- Duke is on a 3-game winning streak
- The Over has cashed in three of Illinois’ last four games
- The Over has cashed in three of Duke’s last four games
- Illinois is 1-4 against the spread in its last 5
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!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
· Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
· Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
· Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
· Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
