The Big Ten is front and centre for my Tuesday night college basketball best bet.
The pregame narrative: When the Illinois Fighting Illini visit the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers, I expect a hard fought, defensive battle.
Check out my college basketball best bet for Feb. 18.
College basketball best bet
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Best Bet: Illinois/Wisconsin under 161.5 points (-110)
When No. 16 Wisconsin travelled to Illinois in December, the teams hit the over in an 86-80 victory for the Illini.
But given how the Badgers have been battening down the hatches at home lately, I don’t anticipate that happening again.
- Unders are 7-1 in Wisconsin’s past eight home games.
- Unders are 4-1 in Illinois’ past five road games.
Both teams rank in the bottom 60 defensively in terms of turnover rate, so there shouldn’t be many fast-break points. The Badgers and Illini also both rank in the top 70 in effective field goal percentage allowed.
Illinois plays at the 17th-quickest pace in NCAA Division I, but I expect Wisconsin to do its best to dictate the tempo in front of what will be a raucous Kohl Center crowd in Madison.
Key stat: In Wisconsin’s past four home games, the average total was 138.8 points.
Pick made at 3:20 p.m. ET 02/18/2025
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.