#3 Purdue vs #12 Illinois NCAA Basketball Odds, Betting Analysis and the Boilermakers reigning the Big Ten Conference

No. 3 Purdue can clinch the outright Big Ten regular-season title on Tuesday night with a victory at second-place and No. 12 Illinois, which would still need help this weekend to share the title with the Boilers. Purdue is a short underdog on the NCAAB odds.

2024 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis #3 Purdue vs #12 Illinois | MyBookie Sportsbook Week 18 NCAAB

How to Bet Purdue at Illinois NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, 7 PM ET
Where: State Farm Center
TV: None nationally
Stream: Peacock exclusive
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Illinois -2 (total 164)

#3 Purdue vs #12 Illinois Last Meeting

On Jan. 9 Purdue was ranked No. 1 in the country when it beat No. 9 Purdue 83-78. Trey Kaufman-Renn had a season-high 23 points for the Boilers and Lance Jones added 17. Star Zach Edey spent the last eight minutes of each half in foul trouble but finished with 10 point and 15 rebounds. Marcus Domask had 26 points and Quincy Guerrier finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Fighting Illini, who were without arguably their best player in the suspended Terrence Shannon Jr. He’s back now. Illinois is now 3-16 on the road when Purdue is ranked and 1-5 when both teams are in the Top 10.

Why Bet on Purdue Boilermakers?

The last Big Ten team to win back-to-back outright regular-season titles was Ohio State in 2006 and 2007. No. 3 Purdue needs just one win to follow suit after the Boilermakers (26-3, 15-3) beat Michigan State 80-74 on Saturday to clinch a share of it.

“It’s a great accomplishment to win back-to-back Big Ten championships,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “It’s a very difficult task. We’re happy for our entire team, but really happy for our seniors. Those guys have hung in there, been very successful and they’ve done things the right way.”

Purdue took a 15-point lead on superstar Zach Edey‘s three-point play with 14:26 to go. Michigan State had an answer. A.J. Hoggard drained an open 3-pointer from the left wing to trim the deficit to 58-55, prompting a timeout by Painter with 9:13 remaining. Out of the break, Braden Smith knocked down a 3 and Purdue held steady from there. Michigan State never got closer than five in the final three minutes. Mason Gillis’ 3 with 56.3 seconds remaining extended Purdue’s cushion to 77-69.

Edey, who will win National Player of the Year for the second straight season, recorded his 60th career double-double with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. Edey moved into 12th on Purdue’s single-season scoring list (696 points). He surpassed 2,200 career points in the win and moved into 10th place on the Big Ten’s all-time career scoring list (2,229 points).

Edey and Navy’s David Robinson (1984-87) are the only players in NCAA history with at least 2,200 points, 1,100 rebounds, 200 blocks and to shoot at least 60.0 percent from the field. Edey recorded his 15th career 30-10 game. No other current active player has more than four.

Smith scored 23 points with nine rebounds, three assists and a steal. Smith surpassed 700 career points in the win. For the season, Smith now has 379 points, 206 assists, 172 rebounds and 50 steals. Smith and Michigan State’s Magic Johnson (1979) are the only players in Big Ten history with 375 points, 200 assists, 170 rebounds and 50 steals in a season.

Purdue has now won consecutive Big Ten titles for the first time since the “threepeat” in 1994, 1995 and 1996. The Boilermakers have won four Big Ten regular-season titles in the last eight years (2017, 2019, 2023, 2024). Painter has now won five Big Ten regular-season titles, tied for the seventh most in Big Ten history. In the last 50 years, only Bob Knight (11), Tom Izzo (10) and Gene Keady (6) have won more league titles. Saturday’s win was the 57th Big Ten win for the senior class (last four years), tying a school record for most wins by a class in league play.

Purdue has won at least 15 games in Big Ten play for the second straight year, the first time since 1995 and 1996 it has won 15 or more league games in consecutive seasons. Purdue has now won 15 or more league games in four of the last seven seasons. Its 84 wins over the last three seasons are now the most in school history. Purdue needs just one more regular-season win to tie the school record for most regular-season victories in school history.

Purdue is essentially a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers are No. 1 in both résumé-based metrics (ESPN’s strength of record and KPI) and tied with UConn for the most Q1 wins and have the most Q1 and Q2 wins in the country. Painter’s team owns stellar victories over Arizona, Tennessee, Marquette, Alabama and Illinois. The only concern is a defense that has allowed more than one point per possession in five straight games and seven of the past eight, including at least 1.11 points per possession in four of the past five.

Bet Purdue to Win
College Basketball Vegas Odds

Why Bet on Illinois Fighting Illini?

No. 12 Illinois (22-7, 13-5) kept its slim Big Ten title hopes alive with a third straight win Saturday, 91-83 at Wisconsin, winning for the seventh straight time in the series. That represents the Illini’s longest winning streak in the series since it took 16 in a row over the Badgers from 1981-89. Wisconsin beat Illinois 15 consecutive times before this stretch. The Illini also became the first visiting team to win four straight at the Kohl Center, which has served as the Badgers’ home arena since 1998.

After Wisconsin’s John Blackwell sank a 3-pointer to tie the game at 68-all with 5:44 remaining, the Illini’s Marcus Domask scored six points during a 13-3 run that enabled Illinois to seize control. Domask started the spurt with a basket that put the Illini ahead for good with 5:25 left. Over the final 5:44 of play, the Illini outscored the Badgers, 23-15, while the team’s 91 points were their most against Wisconsin in 35 years.

Domask finished with a team-high 31 points, his third outing this season with 30+ points. Scoring in double figures for the 19th time in his last 20 games, Domask knocked down a season-high four 3-pointers, and he made six of his final seven field-goal attempts. He also amassed eight rebounds and three assists, both of which were team-best marks, and he made one block. Domask eclipsed 700 career rebounds in Saturday’s game and is now one of only three active NCAA Division I players nationally with 2,000+ points and 700+ rebounds for his career.

Terrence Shannon Jr. followed up his 29-point effort on Wednesday night with a 23-point showing against the Badgers. It marked Shannon’s team-leading 14th game of the season with 20+ points. He ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring at 21.9 points per game, the highest scoring average by an Illini in 51 years, since Nick Weatherspoon’s 25.0 ppg in 1973. Shannon made three 3-pointers, all of which came in the first half, and he went 8-for-9 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed five boards, dished out two assists, and was credited with a team-high two steals.

Coleman Hawkins totaled 13 points, nine of which came in the second half, en route to his third straight double-digit scoring outing. Going 4-for-4 from the stripe, Hawkins hauled in seven rebounds, including two on the offensive glass, and he made two blocks, his eighth game with multiple swats. He also tacked on one assist.

The Illini have scored at least 80 points in nine straight games, their longest such streak since the 1988-89 team collected 80-plus points in 12 consecutive games on its way to the Final Four. It was Illinois’ 1,900th all-time victory, as the Fighting Illini became the 13th NCAA Division I program in the 1,900-win club. Illinois is the Big Ten’s winningest team in conference play since the start of 2019-20 with an overall record of 68-30 (.694) in league games over the last five seasons.

Saturday’s win guaranteed Illinois a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Head coach Brad Underwood is just the second coach in Fighting Illini history with five straight 20-win seasons, joining Lou Henson, who accomplished the feat nine years in a row from 1983 to 1991.

Bet Illinois to Win
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

#3 Purdue vs #12 Illinois Expert Prediction

Purdue 78, Illinois 77

NCAA Basketball Odds to Win Championship – Top 10

College Basketball Betting Center

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