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Wednesday NCAA Basketball Betting Preview: Illinois at Penn State and Villanova at Marquette

SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking focuses in on the top Big Ten and Big East matchups on his Wednesday night college basketball betting card.

Roy Larking

No. 18 Illinois at Penn State

Teams looking to rebound from close losses in their last game meet when No. 18. Illinois visits unranked Penn State. Tipoff for the Fighting Illini vs. Nittany Lions Big Ten Conference battle is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania. These teams are playing the first of two games this season. Illinois snapped a six-game losing streak against Penn State with a 62-56 victory on the road in Happy Valley in the lone meeting last year.

Illinois (5-3) enters this contest following a 91-88 loss on the road to No. 19 Rutgers on Sunday. Free throws were the difference as the Scarlet Knights outscored the Fighting Illini 25-11 from the charity stripe. The loss was somewhat surprising after Illinois crushed unbeaten Minnesota 92-65 in their previous game. After opening the season with three straight wins, Illinois has lost three of their last five games. Expect Illinois to be laser-focused in this contest.

Penn State (3-2) opened their season with wins at home against VMI (86-65) and VCU (72-69) prior to a 98-92 overtime loss to Seton Hall. Heading out on the road, the Nittany Lions posted a huge 75-55 upset win over No. 14 Virginia Tech before losing 62-58 to Michigan in their Big Ten opener on December 13th. Penn State features a balanced attack on offense as four of their starting five players are averaging at least 11.8 points per game over five matches this season.

The Fighting Illini enter this contest with a sizeable edge on offense as they are averaging 88.3 points per game while the Nittany Lions are scoring just 76.6 PPG. The numbers are extremely close on defense as Illinois is giving up 70.0 PPG and Penn State is allowing 69.8 PPG. Ayo Dosunmu (22.6 PTS, 8.0 REB) and Kofi Cockburn (16.8 PTS, 9.8 REB) are a dynamic duo for Illinois and the top players in this game. I see them leading the Fighting Illini to win over the Nittany Lions.

Pick: Illinois Fighting Illini (-3) ATS at DraftKings

Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook – Game Time 6:30 p.m. ET

Bet on College Basketball All Season at DraftKings

No. 5 Villanova at Marquette

Riding a five-game winning streak, No. 5 Villanova visits unranked Marquette who has lost three of their last four games. Tipoff for the Wildcats vs. Golden Eagles Big East Conference showdown is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Villanova won’t take Marquette lightly as these teams split the season series last year. The Golden Eagles posted a 71-60 upset win at home and battled hard on the road during a razor-thin 72-71 loss.

Villanova (7-1) opened their season by winning the Empire Classic tournament. The Wildcats defeated Boston College 76-67 in the tipoff game and then posted an 83-74 victory over No. 18 Arizona in the championship match. That was followed by an 81-73 OT loss to Virginia Tech in the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic. Since then, the Wildcats have won five straight games including a 68-64 win over No. 17 ranked Texas on the road.

Marquette was strong out of the gate as they went 4-1 during their first five games. The Golden Eagles recorded their signature win to date during that run as they upset No. 4 Wisconsin 67-65 as +4 point underdogs at home. Marquette moved their record to 2-0 against AP Top 25 teams with an 89-84 win over No. 9 Creighton on December 14th. That was followed by losses to Seton Hall (70-63) at home and Xavier (91-88) on the road during their last game on December 20th.

There isn’t much separating these teams from an overall statistics standpoint. Villanova is averaging 79.5 points per game on offense and Marquette has scored 76.1 PPG. The Wildcats are allowing 67.0 PPG on defense and the Golden Eagles have given up 69.3 PPG. Villanova has four players who are averaging at least 12.9 PPG while Marquette has three players who are averaging at least 12.0 PPG. I am backing the hotter team and betting on the Wildcats to cover the spread.

Pick: Villanova Wildcats (-4) ATS at DraftKings

Betting Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook – Game Time 7:00 p.m. ET

2020-21 NCAA Basketball Betting Record: 6-4 ATS

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