Purdue vs. Illinois Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Friday, March 7

Iain MacMillan | Mar 7, 2025

Purdue is an underdog on the road to Illinois in each team's final regular season game. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Both the Purdue Boilermakers and Illinois Fighting Illini are in the midst of a log-jam in the Big Ten as we enter the final weekend of the regular season. Just three games separates second place and eighth place in the conference which makes this Friday night showdown a pivotal one.

Both teams enter the game coming off two-straight wins. Let's check out the odds for which one will win a third straight on Friday night.

Purdue vs. Illinois Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• Purdue +4.5 (-110)
• Illinois -4.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Purdue +158
• Illinois -192

Total

• OVER 159.5 (-110)
• UNDER 159.5 (-110)

Purdue vs. Illinois How to Watch

• Date: Friday, March 7
• Game Time: 8:00 PM EST
• Venue: State Farm Center
• How to Watch (TV): FOX
• Purdue Record: 21-9 (13-6 Conference)
• Illinois Record: 19-11 (11-8 Conference)

Purdue vs. Illinois Key Players to Watch

Purdue

Braden Smith: Purdue's Braden Smith is second in the country in assists per game, averaging 8.7. His ability to dish the rock has been a huge reason for Purdue's success this year and he and Trey Kaufman-Renn have become a dynamic duo. We'll see if that keeps up on Friday night.

Illinois

Kasparas Jakucionis: The Illinois guard leads the team in both points (15.4) and assists (4.8) per game while also averaging 5.6 boards. He played a big role in the upset against Michigan on Sunday, putting up 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists.

Purdue vs. Illinois Prediction and Pick

Illinois is primarily a three-point shooting team with 47.1% of their shots coming from beyond the arc. That should bode well for the Boilermakers, who come into this game ranking 26th in opponent three-point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting just 30.5% from beyond the arc.

On top of that, it's hard to look past the impressive shooting numbers of Purdue. At 57.1%, the Boilermakers have the eighth best effective field goal percentage in the country and the third best amongst power conference teams.

I'll back Purdue in this Friday night showdown.

Pick: Purdue +4.5 (-110) via FanDuel Sportsbook

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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