A pair of nationally ranked NCAA championship hopefuls will be going at in on Sunday when the 19th-ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights host the 13th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini’ in an intriguing Big Ten battle. Illinois is looking to record consecutive wins while Rutgers looks to remain unbeaten this season. Now, let’s find out where the best NCAAB betting value lies in this matchup so you can go ahead and make your bets against their College Basketball odds.
NCAA Basketball Betting Predictions – No. 13 Illinois at No. 19 Rutgers
Illinois Fighting Illini (4-2) Vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-0)
- When: Sunday, December 20, 2020 at 1:00 PM ET
- Where: Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway, NJ
- TV: ESPN2
- NCAAB Odds: TBD
Why Bet On No. 13 Illinois
The Fighting Illini’ were 3-1 and ranked sixth in the nation before suffering a crushing 81-78 road loss against Missouri on Saturday that dropped them to their current No. 13 ranking. Illinois bounced back to spank Minnesota 92-65 on Tuesday as 7-foot 285-pound sophomore behemoth of a center Kofi Cockburn scored a team-high 33 points and added 11 rebounds.
Illinois is led by preseason All-American Ayo Dosunmu who averages 22.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. The Fighting Illini’ average a stellar 88.3 points per game (24th) on a blistering 53.7 percent shooting mark from the field (11th) and 43.2 percent mark from distance (11th). The Fighting Illini’ limit the opposition to just 67.0 points per contest defensively (124th).
Why Bet On No. 19 Rutgers
Rutgers is off to an unblemished 4-0 start and comes into this matchup fresh off a thorough 74-60 take-down of Maryland on Monday night that saw junior shooting guard Ron Harper Jr. score a game-high 27 points while adding a stat-stuffing four assists, five rebounds and two blocks, all in 30 minutes of action. Rutgers averages a solid 81.0 points per game (69th) on 52.0 percent shooting from the field (21st) and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Scarlet Knights allow just 64.6 points per game defensively (82nd).
Expert Analysis and Prediction
Illinois might have the higher national ranking and the best player on the court in Ayo Dosunmu, but Ron Harper Jr. is no slouch as he puts up 23.2 points per contest on 60.0 percent shooting from the field and a mind-boggling 50.0 shooting mark from three-point distance.
Not only that, but the Scarlet Knights have a pair of 6-11 centers to combat Kofi Cockburn with. Rutgers has a bunch of upper classmen so they won’t be scared of the moment. With the Scarlet Knights at home in this matchup, I like them to eke out the hard-fought win in a thriller.
Pick: Rutgers 81 Illinois 78
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