Marquette vs Illinois Odds, Picks and Predictions: Defenses Take Center Stage

The Gavitt Games continue tonight with a marquee matchup featuring the No. 4 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. No. 3. Illinois Fighting Illini. 

Both schools have opened their seasons with 2-0 starts, and the college basketball odds point to a closely contested and possibly low-scoring affair between the two nationally ranked sides. 

Let's take a closer look with our free college basketball picks as I preview Marquette vs. Illinois on November 14.

Marquette vs Illinois best odds

Marquette vs Illinois picks and predictions

Tuesday’s Gavitt Games matchup should be a good battle between two nationally ranked teams playing their first meaningful game of the season.

The Marquette Golden Eagles have breezed through their first two contests. They play a faster-than-average tempo and shoot the ball well from inside and outside the arc. They’ve shot poorly from the charity stripe but otherwise took care of business like a Top-10 team should handle an unranked opponent.

The Illinois Fighting Illini haven’t breezed through any of their two home games this season. They zipped through Eastern Illinois in their last game but barely beat a pesky Oakland side to open the season. The Fighting Illini didn’t shoot particularly well in either game but still managed to find a way to win.

The Fighting Illini probably won’t breeze through Marquette either, but they could get a big boost if Golden Eagles guard Tyler Kolek doesn’t dress. He injured his ankle against Rider and is questionable for this tilt. He’s their playmaker and one of their best shooters — Marquette will struggle without him on the floor distributing the ball and knocking down jumpers.

The contrast in style will be striking, but the Fighting Illini have a ton of experience and are coming off a game where they needed to gut one out against Oakland. Walking the ball up the floor and kicking it down on the block worked well for Illinois against Oakland, and it should work well against the smaller and lighter Marquette frontcourt.

Even if Kolek does dress, he won’t be 100%, and the Fighting Illini defense is tough. Kolek and his squad won’t get the same open looks from downtown they’ve enjoyed thus far and will have a tough time scoring in the paint against the taller Fighting Illini bigs. 

I like the Under tonight. Marquette is playing its first away game of the season and could be without its top playmaker and best 3-point shooter. Illinois plays suffocating defense and enjoys a considerable size advantage. Marquette relies on too many triples against a defense that effectively closes out shooters.

Neither team shoots well from the free-throw line, and the Fighting Illini haven’t shot well from anywhere thus far. Illinois plays slow, methodical offensive basketball that produces victories but not the type of scoring that tends to exceed bookmakers' totals. 

My best bet: Under 147.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Marquette vs Illinois same-game parlay

Under 148

Terrence Shannon Jr. Over 2.5 made threes

+415 at DraftKings

DraftKings offers plenty of SGP markets for this game, but I’ve narrowed them down to two legs that should pay over 4-1.

I love the Under in this game. Illinois will be aggressive on defense, and if Kolek doesn’t dress, they will attack whoever brings the ball up the floor, which will change the Golden Eagles' offensive rhythm, producing a low-scoring game.

Terrence Shannon Jr. is the Fighting Illini's leading scorer and attempts 6.5 triples per night. For Illinois to have a shot at winning, he'll need to come up big tonight. He's draining 38% from downtown, but he will enjoy a distinct height advantage tonight, and I expect Shannon to fire away on the Marquette zone defense and land this two-leg SGP card.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Marquette vs Illinois spread and Over/Under analysis

DraftKings opened Illinois at -120, and that number has shifted slightly to -125. FanDuel has -128, but most US sportsbooks outside Las Vegas offer -125 for Illinois to win SU.

Marquette is a short underdog, with FanDuel offering the best price (+106). Those are short odds for a road underdog possibly playing without its top playmaker and leader.

Illinois opened as a -2.0 (-110) point favorite and now is -1.5 (-115). They dropped the number and raised the juice, which means DraftKings feels confident -1.5 is the right number, and they will charge extra to make up for any hits they took at -1.5 (-110). 

DraftKings opened 147.5 (-110), and that number hasn’t budged. The half-point line move didn’t move the total; if anything, this number might end up lining up with Pinnacle at 147. 

If there is a market I am leaning towards, it’s for Illinois to win this game. The Illinois ML at -125 isn’t a bad price for a 2-0 home team playing against its first real competition. What I am probably going to do is wait for this game to begin and maybe grab Illinois as a home dog. It won’t take much of a Marquette run to move the ML, and if it does, I will likely look for Illinois +120 or better. 

Marquette vs Illinois betting trend to know

Marquette has only hit the Game Total Over in 17 of their last 36 games (-3.90 Units / -10% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Marquette vs. Illinois.

Duke vs Michigan State game info

Marquette vs Illinois key injuries

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic