The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Illinois Fighting Illini are set to square off in a Big Ten matchup at 6 p.m. ET on Monday at Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers are 7-8 overall and 5-4 at home, while Illinois is 12-5 overall and 1-2 on the road. Illinois has won four straight meetings between the two, with the last three all coming by at least 23 points.
The Fighting Illini are favored by 9 points in the latest Minnesota vs. Illinois odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 138. Before entering any Illinois vs. Minnesota 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. The model enters Week 11 of the season 41-21 on all-top rated college basketball picks, returning more than $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Minnesota vs. Illinois. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Illinois vs. Minnesota:
- Minnesota vs. Illinois spread: Minnesota +9
- Minnesota vs. Illinois over/under: 138 points
- Minnesota vs. Illinois money line: Minnesota +340, Illinois -440
- Minnesota vs. Illinois picks: See picks here
What you need to know about Minnesota
After constant struggles on the road, Minnesota has finally found some success away from home. This past Thursday, it narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Ohio State Buckeyes 70-67. Forward Dawson Garcia took over for Minnesota, finishing with 28 points (a whopping 40% of its total) along with nine boards.
Ben Johnson's squad has really struggled on the offensive end as the Golden Gophers rank 338th in the country in points per game. Three players -- Garcia, Jamison Battle and Ta'Lon Cooper -- combine to average over 60% of the scoring for Minnesota, so if any one of them struggle, then the team struggles.
What you need to know about Illinois
Meanwhile, Illinois netted a 75-66 win over the Michigan State Spartans this past Friday. Illinois relied on the efforts of forward Dain Dainja, who had 20 points in addition to seven rebounds, and guard Matthew Mayer, who had 19 points in addition to six blocks.
Dainja and Mayer are two of four Illini players averaging in double-figures, with Terrence Shannon Jr. leading the way at 18 PPG. The Texas Tech transfer ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring, and he's a barometer for success for Illinois. The Illini are 12-2 when Shannon scores in double-figures but are 0-3 when he's held to single-digits.
How to make Minnesota vs. Illinois picks
The model has simulated Minnesota vs. Illinois 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Illinois vs. Minnesota? And which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is 41-21 on its top-rated college basketball picks this season, and find out.
