NCAA Basketball: Maryland vs Illinois
Dennis Schneidler / USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Golden Gophers and host No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini open their Big Ten Conference slate when they meet on Tuesday in Champaign, Ill. Minnesota (6-0) will be playing its first road game of the year and is coming off a 90-61 victory over Missouri-Kansas City on Thursday. Illinois (4-2), which is 3-0 on its home court this season, dropped an 81-78 decision at Missouri on Saturday. The Illini defeated Duke 83-68 on the road on Dec. 8.

Tip-off from State Farm Center is set for 7 p.m. ET. Illinois leads the all-time series 124-68, including a 73-19 edge in games played at Champaign. The Fighting Illini are eight-point favorites in the latest Illinois vs. Minnesota odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 149. Before making any Minnesota vs. Illinois picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It's also off to a fast start in the 2020-21 season, going 8-4 on all its top-rated picks and returning well over $300. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Illinois vs. Minnesota. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Minnesota vs. Illinois:

  • Minnesota vs. Illinois spread: Illinois -8
  • Minnesota vs. Illinois over-under: 149 points
  • MIN: Junior guard Gabe Kalscheur is seventh on the school's all-time 3-pointers made list with 157
  • ILL: Is 44-18 all-time in Big Ten Conference openers at home

Why Illinois can cover 

The Fighting Illini are led by junior guard Ayo Dosunmu, who has been red hot. He is averaging 24.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, the only player in the nation averaging 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. He is hitting 53.5 percent of his field goals, including 40.9 percent from 3-point range. He is also hitting 80 percent of his free throws. He is a National Player of the Year candidate.

Also off to a fast start to the season is sophomore center Kofi Cockburn, who has recorded three double-doubles. He is averaging 14 points and 8.8 rebounds. He was the 2020 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and is on the Abdul-Jabbar Watch List. In the loss at Missouri, Cockburn scored 19 points and grabbed four rebounds. He hit on eight of 10 field goal attempts from the floor.

Why Minnesota can cover 

The Golden Gophers have done a good job at getting to the free throw line and have made 133 free throws in 181 attempts. The 133 free throws made ties a nation's best with Texas Tech, while Minnesota's free throw attempts ranks third. Overall, the Golden Gophers rank sixth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage at 73.5. Minnesota made 34 free throws in 44 attempts against Missouri-Kansas City.

Redshirt junior guard Marcus Carr is Minnesota's top scorer, averaging 23.8 points per game, third-best in the Big Ten. He is also hauling in 3.7 rebounds and dishing out 6.2 assists per game. He is hitting 48.5 percent of his shots from the floor. His best game so far was in the season opener against Green Bay, when he scored 35 points, while grabbing seven rebounds and recorded four assists.

How to make Minnesota vs. Illinois picks

SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Illinois vs. Minnesota? And which side of the spread is hitting in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.