We have this NCAAB conference tilt in Illinois on Monday, February 20, and here you can take a look at the best Golden Gophers vs. Fighting Illini betting pick and odds.

Minnesota is desperate to avoid the tenth defeat in a row when they visit Illinois at State Farm Center. The Fighting Illini are clear -15.5 favorites on MyBookie Sportsbook, while the total is set at 134 points. These Big Ten rivals will face for the second time in a month; the Fighting Illini won 78-60 in Minnesota.

Golden Gophers lost to Penn State at home

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-17, 9-13-25 ATS) are experiencing the worst period of their season; they suffered nine consecutive defeats and are at the rock-bottom of the Big Ten with just one conference win. The Golden Gophers managed to score more than 61 points for the first time in nine games but still ended up with a 76-69 loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions at home. Minnesota shot well from the floor (50.0%) but made only four triples opposite Penn State’s ten.

Sophomore forward Dawson Garcia led the Golden Gophers with 23 points and seven rebounds. Pharrel Payne posted a double-double of 18 points and game-high ten boards along with six assists, Joshua Ola-Joseph scored 11, while Ta’lon Cooper chipped in six points, game-high nine dimes, and game-high four blocks.

Fighting Illini took a narrow loss against Indiana

The Illinois Fighting Illini (17-9, 17-9-0 ATS) are also going through a rough patch as they lost three of the last four games. The Fighting Illini are back home from a two-game road trip on which they suffered a couple of defeats to the Penn State Nittany Lions and Indiana Hoosiers. The latter was painful; the Hoosiers won 71-68, and although RJ Melendez had a chance to force overtime, he missed his three-point attempt as time expired. Illinois shot just 39.3% from the field in this loss.

Senior forward Matthew Mayerled the Fighting Illini with 24 points, team-high eight rebounds, and game-high five blocks. Jayden Epps scored 12 points with a game-high three steals, while Dain Dainja finished with 11 points, five boards, and two thefts.

G Terrence Shannon Jr. was absent from the previous game with concussion-like symptoms, and it remains to be seen if he will take on Minnesota on Monday.

Trends:

Minnesota:

  • 4-9-1 ATS in the last 14 road games
  • 2-5 ATS in the last seven games following a straight-up loss of more than 20 points

Illinois:

  • 6-1 ATS in the last seven games overall
  • 6-1 ATS in the last seven home games

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Pick

Even if the Fighting Illini’s best player and top scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. is unavailable to play against Minnesota on Monday, I am sure the hosts will easily outscore the inefficient Golden Gophers. Minnesota averages only 61.2 points per game, which makes it one of the weakest offenses in college basketball. While they are not bad defensively, Illinois is averaging 74.9 ppg and allows 65.3 ppg, so I give a huge advantage to the Fighting Illini. They already destroyed the Golden Gophers this season, and I think they will do it again.

Pick: Take the Fighting Illini at -13.5 (-133)

The Total

Minnesota’s offensive inefficiency is the biggest reason for the bettors to offer such a low total. Still, that’s a great opportunity for Over bettors to make a profit, and I am riding that horse. Illinois scored 78 in a win over the Golden Gophers a month ago, and I am backing them to score 75-80 here as well. As long as the visitors score around 60 points, we have a winner here. Over is 5-2 in the Golden Gophers’ last seven games after scoring less than 50 points in their previous game, while Under is 5-2-1 in the Fighting Illini’s last eight overall.

Pick: Go Over 132.5 points (-130)