Illinois vs. Duke Prediction, Odds and Best College Basketball Prop Bets for Saturday, Feb. 22

Illinois' season is in a tailspin, as injuries and illness have taken its toll on the roster resulting in two straight losses.

It won’t get any easier for the Fighting Illini as the team exits Big Ten play for a neutral site showdown against Duke at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils are a top NCAA Tournament contender around future first round pick Cooper Flagg, and given the state of the Fighting Illini, are viewed as massive favorites on Saturday night.

Can Duke make good as big favorites, or is there another way to target a betting angle in this one?

We have you covered below.

Illinois vs. Duke Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

Illinois: +9.5 (-115)
Duke: -9.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Illinois: +330
Duke: -430

Total: 156.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Illinois vs. Duke How to Watch

Date: Saturday, February 22nd
Game Time: 8:00 PM EST
Venue: Madison Square Garden
How to Watch (TV): FOX
Illinois Record: 17-10
Duke Record: 23-3

Illinois vs. Duke Key Players to Watch

Illinois

Kasparas Jakucionis: The future lottery pick struggled against Wisconsin earlier in the week, dealing with foul trouble for much of the game and turning it over seven times with no assists. Without a ton of front court depth at the moment, Jakucionis has been tasked with a ton of responsibility on offense and the team hasn’t been able to hold up. Despite being elite around the rim, Jakucionis has slipped to 32% shooting from beyond the arc in BIg Ten play.

Duke

Cooper Flagg: Flagg continues to dazzle in his freshman season at Duke, leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game. He’ll face a short-handed Illinois frontcourt that lost Morez Johnson indefinitely to injury, which can lead to a big outing at MSG for the future No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.

Illinois vs. Duke Prediction and Pick

It’s tough to trust Illinois at the moment given the state of the roster and the ongoing illness around the roster that has gone on for about a month. It’s been so bad for Illinois that the team didn’t do a handshake line after losing at Wisconsin earlier in the week.

Illinois typically has the length to contend with a team like Duke around the paint, but I believe that coach Brad Underwood is going to be forced into playing a smaller lineup and trying to win the three-point battle against Duke while pushing the pace.

With that type of set up, I’m inclined to bet the over, even against an elite Duke defense.

However, the biggest edge is the matchup for the Duke offense as the team can dominate inside with the likes of Khalam Maluach as well as the ever versatile Flagg playing inside and out. Of course, Tyrese Proctor can lead a Duke offense to easy buckets against Illinois’ spiraling defense.

The current version of Illinois’ only recourse is to maximize variance and play a fast style that Duke will oblige with and feast on offense. Over is the best way to play this one.

PICK: OVER 156.5 (-115, available at FanDuel Sportsbook)

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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