It’s a nice Big 12 vs Big Ten cross-conference matchup Tuesday night, when the Texas Tech Red Raiders visit the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Both teams have looked dynamite to open the year at 2-0, but the books like the Illini in this one, pegging them as 4-point home favorites in the college basketball odds.
My Texas Tech vs Illinois prediction and free college basketball pick thinks this one will blast through the total in this matchup of high-octane offenses.
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Texas Tech vs Illinois prediction
Texas Tech vs Illinois best bet: Over 167.5 (-110)
Here’s hoping the light bulbs in the scoreboards at State Farm Center in Champaign are all new, because they could really get worked over in this one.
Illinois has absolutely shredded the competition in its first two games, hanging 113 points in back-to-back contests, crushing Jackson State by 58, and then mashing Florida Gulf Coast by 43.
Illinois is shooting 55.1% from the field and 41.2% from three-point range. Conter Tomislav Ivisic is leading the team in scoring at 21 points per game, but he’s one of three Illini averaging better than 20+ — guards Kylan Boswell and Keaton Wagler are the others.
They’ve also done work on the glass, outrebounding their opponents 112-49 over two games.
Texas Tech hasn’t been bad themselves, as they’ve put together back-to-back 98-point games, a 28-point rout of Lindenwood to kick off the year, then a 21-point whipping of Sam Houston last game.
This is the Red Raiders, still not fully developed, as they started the year with four players injured and out in the opener, but they are getting closer to full strength.
One of the returning players is preseason Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin, who went off for 31 points and 14 rebounds in his debut against Sam Houston.
Toppin has great support in stud guard Christian Anderson, who is averaging 26 points and nine assists in two games.
Going back to last season, Texas Tech has cashed the Over now in eight straight games, while the Illini have hit the Over in two straight and in five of their last eight overall.
All this talk of offense, the defense has been so-so to start for Tech, allowing 68.5 points per game, while Illinois has a little better figure of 62.5 points allowed. Neither are lockdown-type of numbers
That shouldn’t be much of a worry for now. While both teams will find their stride defensively, both schools are having a ton of fun currently, outscoring their problems.
Texas Tech vs Illinois same-game parlay
David Mirkovic is Illinois’ leading rebounder, grabbing double-digit boards in both games, so we have to take a flier on the freshman Tuesday, considering the generous 8.5 line.
For the Red Raiders, sophomore guard Christian Anderson has been a big-time scorer early, partly because of his ability to get to the stripe — he has 19 free throws through two games.
Again, a generous 14.5 scoring line has been set for him, one that he’s cruised by in both games.
Texas Tech vs Illinois SGP
- Over 167.5 points
- Mirkovic Over 8.5 rebounds
- Anderson Over 14.5 points
Our beyond the arc SGP: Hot shooting
We’ll target a couple of sharpshooters to make this lotto SGP.
Senior Ben Humrichous has started out hot from distance, hitting at a 42.9% clip.
While Texas Tech has only allowed the opposition to shoot 29.3% from 3-point range so far, Illinois gets up 34 attempts per game. Humrichous should get plenty of chances to drop a couple of triples.
And Donovan Atwell has been scorching from 3-point range this year, nailing six moneyballs in back-to-back games. We’ll ride the hot hand, especially when his make line is 2.5.
Texas Tech vs Illinois SGP
- Over 167.5 points
- Mirkovic Over 8.5 rebounds
- Anderson Over 14.5 points
- Humrichous Over 1.5 threes
- Atwell Over 2.5 threes
Texas Tech vs Illinois odds
- Spread: Texas Tech +3.5 | Illinois -3.5
- Moneyline: Texas Tech +150 | Illinois -180
- Over/Under: Over 167 | Under 167
Texas Tech vs Illinois betting trend to know
Illinois has 10 straight games against non-conference opponents at State Farm Center. Find more college basketball betting trends for Texas Tech vs. Illinois.
How to watch Texas Tech vs Illinois
| Location | State Farm Center, Champaign, IL |
| Date | Tuesday, November 11, 2025 |
| Tip-off | 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | FS1 |
Texas Tech vs Illinois key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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