Gophers vs. Fighting Illini Prediction
The 19th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini are rolling with six consecutive wins heading into tonight’s home contest versus the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Can Illinois continue its winning ways with another impressive performance?
Game Snapshot
627 Minnesota Golden Gophers at 628 Illinois Fighting Illini
Thursday, January 30, 2020
State Farm Center at 7:30PM ET
TV: FS1
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According to oddsmakers, the Fighting Illini are a 4.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 135.5 points. As of Thursday morning, 74 percent of public bets are siding with host Illinois. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest information.
Golden Gophers crushed by Spartans
Minnesota lost by a score of 70-52 score Sunday afternoon at home versus Michigan State to drop to 11-9 overall and 5-5 in the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers were outscored 40-30 in the second half of the defeat. Daniel Oturu led Minnesota with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting plus 5-of-7 at the free throw line. He also pulled down six rebounds. Gabe Kalscheur accounted for 15 points, four boards, two assists and two steals. Marcus Carr added 11 points, seven caroms and six assists.
Dosunmu wins it for Illini
Ayo Dosunmu hit a contested jumper with a half-second remaining on the clock Saturday to send Illinois to a thrilling 64-62 victory at Michigan. The Fighting Illini (15-5, 7-2) led 34-30 at halftime before finding a way to the win down the stretch. Dosunmu paced Illinois with 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting including 2-of-3 from 3-point range plus 3-of-3 at the charity stripe. He also accumulated seven rebounds and two assists. Andres Feliz contributed 15 points, seven boards and two assists off the bench. Trent Frazier added 10 points in 21 minutes of action.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Minnesota
The Golden Gophers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven Thursday games. The road team is 1-5 ATS in the last six meetings.
Illinois
The Fighting Illini are 1-4 ATS in their last five Thursday games. The favorite is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.
Prediction:
Illinois has beaten some solid teams during its current hot streak and with Minnesota coming off a rough loss, I feel this spread could be another point wider. The Fighting Illini could be in a letdown situation after a fantastic win, but they’ve been grounded and disciplined during the hot stretch thus far. With the favorite dominating this series of late and the Golden Gophers being only 1-6 on the road this season, I’ll side with the hosts.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI -4.5