Who's Playing
Cincinnati @ No. 10 Illinois
Current Records: Cincinnati 5-0; Illinois 2-1
What to Know
The Cincinnati Bearcats will square off against the #10 Illinois Fighting Illini at 6:30 p.m. ET Monday at T-Mobile Center. Cincinnati will be strutting in after a win while the Fighting Illini will be stumbling in from a loss.
The Bearcats were fully in charge this past Thursday, breezing past the Presbyterian Blue Hose 79-45 at home. Guard Jeremiah Davenport (16 points) was the top scorer for Cincinnati.
Meanwhile, Illinois was just a bucket shy of a victory last Monday and fell 67-66 to the Marquette Golden Eagles. Guard Andre Curbelo just could not get things rolling his way, picking up four fouls and turning the ball over seven times en route to a 4-for-18, 11-point finish.
Cincinnati is expected to lose this next one by 9.5. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread, however, as they are currently on a two-game streak of ATS wins.
Cincinnati's win brought them up to 5-0 while the Fighting Illini's defeat pulled them down to 2-1. Two defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Bearcats enter the matchup with only 55.5 points allowed per game on average, good for 18th best in college basketball. Illinois is not quite as good, but they are no chumps, either: they come into the contest boasting the 20th fewest points allowed per game in college basketball at 55.7.
How To Watch
- When: Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET
- Where: T-Mobile Center -- Kansas City, Missouri
- TV: ESPN University
- Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds
The Fighting Illini are a big 9.5-point favorite against the Bearcats, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Fighting Illini as a 10.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
This is the first time these teams have played each other within the last six years.
