Illinois vs. Penn State betting: College basketball preview for January 8

Data Skrive
Data Skrive

The No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini (11-3, 3-1 Big Ten) will try to continue a four-game win streak when they host the Penn State Nittany Lions (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at State Farm Center as 9.5-point favorites. The matchup airs at 9:00 PM ET on Big Ten Network. The matchup’s point total is 163.5.

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Spread

Illinois Cover -9.5 vs Penn State -108

Bet $20, Payout $38.52

Illinois vs. Penn State betting lines

  • Illinois moneyline odds to win: -474
  • Penn State moneyline odds to win: +358
  • Spread: Illinois (-9.5)
  • Total: 163.5

Illinois statistics, trends and more

As the home team

  • Illinois owned a worse record against the spread at home (8-10-0) than it did in away games (7-3-1) last season.
  • The Fighting Illini exceeded the total in a lower percentage of games at home (50%) than away games (81.8%) last season.
  • As a moneyline favorite, Illinois won a higher percentage of its home games (.812) compared to road games (.667) last season.

Last season stats

  • Last year, the Fighting Illini were 10th-best in college basketball on offense (83.4 points scored per game) and ranked 228th defensively (73.3 points allowed).
  • Illinois was the ninth-best team in college basketball in rebounds per game (37.4) and ranked 70th in rebounds conceded (29.8) last season.
  • At 13.3 assists per game last year, the Fighting Illini were 157th in the country.

Illinois betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 7-7-0 (Home: 5-3-0; Away: 1-2-0)
  • ATS Record When Favored by 9.5+: 5-1-0 (As Favorite: 6-5-0; As Underdog: 1-2-0)
  • O-U-P: 8-6-0 (Home: 3-5-0; Away: 2-1-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 9-1 (Home: 6-0; Away: 1-1)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-2 (Home: 0-1; Away: 1-0)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
46.1 (127th in nation) 38.1 (15th) 41.8 (second) 28.8 (62nd) 15.2 (109th) 11.1 (142nd)

Need to know more about sports betting before you put down a wager on Illinois vs. Penn State? Here’s everything you need to know about how to bet.

Penn State statistics, trends and more

As the away team

  • In 2023-24 against the spread, Penn State had a lower winning percentage at home (.562, 9-7-0 record) than on the road (.600, 6-4-0).
  • Nittany Lions games finished above the over/under 68.8% of the time at home (11 of 16) last season, and 50% of the time away (five of 10).
  • The Nittany Lions, as moneyline underdogs, won a higher percentage of games at home (5-2) than on the road (2-8) last season.

Recent trends

  • The Nittany Lions have fared worse offensively over their past 10 games, tallying 81.1 points per contest, 5.7 fewer points their than season average of 86.8.
  • Penn State is giving up 69.3 points per contest in its previous 10 games, which is 0.8 more points than it is allowing for the season (68.5).
  • The Nittany Lions are making 5.9 three-pointers per contest in their past 10 games, which is 1.4 fewer three-pointers than their average for the season (7.3). Additionally, they sport a lower three-point percentage over their previous 10 contests (30.1%) compared to their season average from downtown (34.0%).

Penn State betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 6-9-0 (Home: 4-6-0; Away: 0-1-0)
  • O-U-P: 6-9-0 (Home: 6-4-0; Away: 0-1-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 11-2 (Home: 8-1; Away: 0-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 0-1 (Home: 0-0; Away: 0-1)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
50.1 (13th in nation) 42.6 (157th) 33.2 (168th) 29.3 (88th) 18.1 (14th) 11.3 (160th)
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