Western Illinois Leathernecks vs Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Pick & Prediction 11/24/23

Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Leathernecks versus the Fighting Illini? Tip off is at at 9:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on BTN. The game will be played at State Farm Center in Champaign, IL. The odds for this non-conference game currently have the Fighting Illini as the betting favorite with the over/under line sitting at 140.5 points.

WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS VS ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING PICK

The Pick: Western Illinois Leathernecks +26

This game will be played at State Farm Center at 9:00 ET on Friday, November 24th.

WHY BET THE WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-66 in favor of the Fighting Illini.
• Even though we have Illinois winning straight-up, we like Western Illinois at +26.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 140.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 143 points.

Does Western Illinois Have What it Takes to Win as Road Underdogs?

Western Illinois enters today’s game against Illinois with an 0-3 record. So far, all of the Leathernecks’ games this season have been on the road. Against the spread, Western Illinois has a record of 0-3 thus far. In their previous three games, the Leathernecks have gone 1-1 ATS with an average scoring margin of -3.

Looking at their over/under performance through three games, Western Illinois has an over/under record of 1-2-0, with their games averaging 142.7 points per game on average. The Leathernecks’ last five games have finished with a combined 73 points per game and an over/under record of 2-2.

In their recent matchup, the Western Illinois offense ended with 66 points against Valparaiso. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 42.4% and made 5 threes. The top scorer for the Leathernecks was Jesiah West with 19 points, while James Dent Jr. also added 15 to the scoreboard.

On defense, Western Illinois is currently around the NCAA average in points allowed, giving up an average of 76.0 points per game. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Western Illinois’ defense has allowed opponents to shoot 43.6% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 25.2% this season.

Does Illinois Have What it Takes at Home?

With a 4-1 record, Illinois is coming off an 88-60 win over Southern. So far this season, they have been favored in all of their games. As of today’s game, Illinois has a 1-4 record against the spread. Looking back at their last ten games, which includes the previous season, Illinois has gone 2-8 vs. the spread.

So far, Illinois’ games have averaged 136.6 points per game with the average over/under line being 145.9 points. When assessing the Fighting Illini’s performance in their last three games, their over/under record stands at 2-1, with their games averaging 79 points per game.

The Illinois offense is coming off a game in which they scored 88 points vs. Southern. Overall their field goal percentage was 57.1% while connecting on 5 threes. Terrence Shannon Jr. is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 19.6 as they approach today’s matchup. In addition, Dain Dainja brings a PPG average of 9.2 into the game.

At present, the Fighting Illini’s defense is nationally ranked 16th, allowing 60.0 points per game. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Illinois’ defense has allowed opponents to shoot 35.5% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 27.6% this season.