Duke vs Illinois prediction, pick, college basketball odds
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It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Duke-Illinois prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Duke-Illinois.
What a delicious game and moment this is, a made-for-television showcase in Madison Square Garden in New York. It is very rare to see two teams play a big nonconference game this late in the season, and not in March Madness. A showcase nonconference game in late February is a treat because it’s so unusual, and yet it gives us a taste of what is to come in the NCAA Tournament. In previous seasons, we did have the Big 12-SEC Challenge, but that was usually on the final weekend of January. This is late February, and it’s a one-off game rather than a part of a full conference-versus-conference series.
Duke is in line for a No. 1 seed at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Cooper Flagg has done nothing to change the preseason consensus that he was going to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft. If he doesn’t come back to Duke for next season, he should indeed be the top pick. Flagg has led the Blue Devils to a win over Auburn and first place in the ACC. This game against Illinois should be a solid test for Flagg and his teammates one month before the Big Dance gets underway.
Illinois has been laboring through the Big Ten season. The Illini have been roughed up in conference play. They have been hit hard by injuries and illnesses. They were hit by a virus this week and were affected by it in their loss to Wisconsin. Head coach Brad Underwood hasn’t been able to find the formula which can lift Illinois out of these dizzying stretches of inconsistency, but in truth — and in fairness — he has very rarely had a fully healthy team on the floor in 2025. The team needs to gain health in February more than anything else, and just enough roster continuity that it can regroup and then go all-in once the NCAA Tournament comes around. This game against Duke is a measuring stick Underwood and his players can use to identify strengths and weaknesses before March Madness.
Here are the Duke-Illinois College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Duke-Illinois Odds
Duke: -9.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -485
Illinois: +9.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +365
Over: 152.5 (-110)
Under: 152.5 (-110)
How to Watch Duke vs Illinois
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: Fox
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Duke Will Cover The Spread/Win
The struggles of Illinois are well documented, and to reiterate, this is less about the pure basketball quality of the Illini, more about the lack of health on this team, the roster disruptions, top players having their seasons interrupted, and the starting five not being able to have the continuity and comfort one would want from a team which has shown it has talent. Illinois can certainly play ball at a high level. We have seen it from this team on several occasions earlier in the season. In early January, Illinois looked like a legitimate Big Ten championship contender and a possible No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now, Illinois looks like something from a No. 7 to 9 seed. This team is going in the wrong direction, but most of all, we can’t really trust the health of this team right now, and that’s a strong reason to think Duke can pound the Illini by double digits and cover.
Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win
The tricky part about the Illini is that while they haven’t been consistently healthy, they do have the talent of a group which, on a given night, can be a handful for even the best teams in the country. This is a team which won at Oregon by 32. It’s a team which beat a very, very good Missouri side which is likely to be a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois has a lot of upside, and the Illini are getting almost 10 whole points. Even against a team as good as Duke, that might be a lot. Moreover, Duke is dealing with an injury to key role player and defensive stalwart Maliq Brown. That could turn out to be a bigger deal than a lot of people think.
Final Duke-Illinois Prediction & Pick
Illinois is not healthy. Duke should dominate. It’s not really more complicated than that.
Final Duke-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Duke -9.5
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