The Duke Blue Devils and the Illinois Fighting Illini will meet in The Big Apple for a late season non conference clash. The Blue Devils have won 3 straight games and are 23-3 on the season, ranking 3rd in the country. The Fighting Illini have lost their last two games and enter Saturday with a 17-10 record. They are currently 8.5 point dogs with this Duke vs. Illinois matchup set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
Illinois Fighting Illini (+8.5) at Duke Blue Devils (-8.5) o/u 156.5
8:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, February 22, 2025
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
TV: FOX
Public Betting: Public Bettors Backing Illini
As of this writing, our CBB Public Betting page shows that 73% of bets are on Illinois. That said, this page is updated frequently so make sure that you click on the link provided so that you’re getting the most updated information.
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Fighting Illini have lost their last two games, with the latest being a 95-74 loss at Wisconsin. It was Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn who came off the bench in that matchup to lead the Illini with 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field. Illinois’ leading scorer on the season Kasparas Jakucionis was good for just 6 points on 2 of 3 shooting. The Fighting Illini were 10-30 from behind the arc in that matchup.
Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils continued their domination this season with an 80-62 victory over Virginia on Monday night. Stud freshman Cooper Flagg scored 17 points and had 14 rebounds, while shooting 50% from the field. Kon Knueppel also dropped 17 points and Isaiah Evans finished with 17 points off the bench as well. Maliq Brown, a key rotation piece for the Blue Devils, dislocated his shoulder and will be out for a few weeks.
Duke vs. Illinois Betting Trends
Duke is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games
The OVER is 3-1 in Duke’s last 4 games
Illinois is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games
The OVER is 3-1 in Illinois’ last 4 games
Duke vs. Illinois Prediction:
Take the over 156.5 total points in this matchup on Saturday night. This is an interesting game in that it is a non conference neutral court clash so late in the season, however I think both teams will put on a show at MSG. The over is 3-0 in Illinois’ 3 neutral site matchups this season. The over has hit in 3 of the last 4 games for both teams. Duke just lost Maliq Brown, who doesn’t add much offensively, scoring just 2.5 ppg, but is one of the Blue Devils stronger defenders, averaging 1.4 steals per game. Illinois ranks 6th in the country in points per game, scoring 83.9. Meanwhile Duke ranks 26th and is good for 81 points per game. The Illini have allowed 74+ points in all of their last 10 games. Duke is averaging 88 ppg over their last 3 games. I think we see a lot of points in this matchup.
Duke vs. Illinois Prediction: Over 156.5