Teams that have combined for six Big Ten Tournament championships meet on Sunday in Minneapolis when the fifth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers battle the second-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini. The Badgers (22-12, 11-9 Big Ten), who have gone 29-22 all-time in the tournament with three titles and four second-place finishes, knocked off top-seeded Purdue 76-75 in overtime on Saturday. The Fighting Illini (25-8, 14-6 Big Ten), who are 33-22 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament with three championships and four runner-up finishes, rallied to defeat Nebraska 98-87 in Saturday's other semifinal. Illinois last won the tournament championship in 2021, while Wisconsin last won it in 2015.
Tip-off from the Target Center in Minneapolis is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The Fighting Illini are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Wisconsin vs. Illinois odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 148. Before making any Illinois vs. Wisconsin picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Zack Cimini.
A Las Vegas handicapper who's never afraid to buck conventional wisdom, Zack excels in multiple sports. All-time in MLB, Zack sports a record of 690-604, returning $3,327 to $100 bettors. Entering the 2023-24 college basketball season, Zack was 423-375, returning $1,331 to $100 players. Zack appears regularly on "The Early Edge," SportsLine's popular daily betting show. Anyone following him has seen huge returns.
Now, Cimini has his sights on Wisconsin vs. Illinois. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Illinois vs. Wisconsin:
- Wisconsin vs. Illinois spread: Illinois -3.5
- Wisconsin vs. Illinois over/under: 148 points
- Wisconsin vs. Illinois money line: Wisconsin +140, Illinois -167
- WIS: The Badgers are 15-17-2 against the spread this season
- ILL: The Fighting Illini are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games
- Wisconsin vs. Illinois picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Illinois can cover
Terrence Shannon Jr. has been the heartbeat of the Fighting Illini offense. The senior guard is coming off a 40-point effort in the semifinal comeback win over Nebraska on Saturday. He had 28 points with three rebounds and three assists a night earlier in a 77-74 win over Ohio State. In the lone regular-season meeting against Wisconsin on March 2, he scored 23 points and added five rebounds in a 91-83 win. For the year, Shannon is averaging 21.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Senior forward Coleman Hawkins has also been a big part of Illinois' success this season. In 29 games, all starts, he is averaging 12.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks in 31.3 minutes. He had a solid effort in the win over Nebraska on Saturday, scoring nine points with seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Badgers in the March 2 meeting at Wisconsin. See which team to pick here.
Why Wisconsin can cover
After starting the season as one of the best teams in the country, the Badgers hit the skids in February, going 3-8 from Feb. 1 through March 10. Since then, however, Wisconsin has looked like its early-season self. One of the reasons has been the play of sophomore guard AJ Storr. He poured in 30 points and grabbed six rebounds in a 70-61 win over Northwestern in Friday's quarterfinals, and added 20 points and six boards in a 76-75 overtime win over Purdue on Saturday.
Also powering the Badgers is junior forward Steven Crowl. In three games this tournament, he has reached double-digit scoring in each, including a 19-point, seven-rebound and three-assist effort in the quarterfinal win over the Wildcats. He had 17 points, three boards and two assists in an 87-56 second-round win over Maryland. In 33 games, all starts, Crowl is averaging 11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and two assists in 28.7 minutes. See which team to pick here.
How to make Wisconsin vs. Illinois picks
Cimini has analyzed Illinois vs. Wisconsin and while we can tell you he's leaning Under the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins Illinois vs. Wisconsin, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Wisconsin vs. Illinois spread hits hard, all from the expert who entered the 2023-24 season up more than $1,300 on his college basketball picks, and find out.
