Illinois vs Kentucky Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament Second Round

The No. 6 seed Illinois Fighting Illini (22-12) will take to the court against the No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats (23-11) on Sunday with a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on the line. This game tips at 5:15 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Illinois vs. Kentucky Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Sunday, March 23, 2025
• Game time: 5:15 p.m. ET
• TV channel: CBS
• Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Arena: Fiserv Forum

Illinois vs. Kentucky Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Illinois win (52.9%)

Before making a bet on Sunday's Illinois-Kentucky spread (Illinois -2.5) or over/under (167.5 points), see the betting insights and trends below.

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Illinois vs. Kentucky: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Illinois has compiled a 17-16-0 ATS record so far this year.
• Kentucky has put together a 17-17-0 ATS record so far this season.
• When the spread is set as 2.5 or more this season, Illinois (14-11) covers a lower percentage of those games when it is the favorite (56%) than Kentucky (7-4) does as the underdog (63.6%).
• The Fighting Illini sport a better record against the spread in home games (10-7-0) than they do in road games (5-5-0).
• Against the spread, the Wildcats have been better at home (10-8-0) than on the road (4-6-0).

Illinois vs. Kentucky: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Illinois has been the moneyline favorite in 22 games this season and has come away with the win 16 times (72.7%) in those contests.
• This year, the Fighting Illini have won 16 of 22 games when listed as at least -126 or better on the moneyline.
• Kentucky has won 54.5% of the games this season it was the moneyline underdog (6-5).
• When they have played as a moneyline underdog with odds of +105 or longer, the Wildcats have gone 6-5 (54.5%).
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Illinois has a 55.8% chance of walking away with the win.

Illinois vs. Kentucky Head-to-Head Comparison

• Illinois is outscoring opponents by 9.3 points per game with a +317 scoring differential overall. It puts up 83.9 points per game (ninth in college basketball) and allows 74.6 per contest (258th in college basketball).
• Kasparas Jakucionis' 15.0 points per game lead Illinois and are 260th in college basketball.
• Kentucky puts up 85.0 points per game (sixth in college basketball) while allowing 77.3 per contest (315th in college basketball). It has a +264 scoring differential and outscores opponents by 7.7 points per game.
• Otega Oweh is ranked 157th in college basketball with a team-leading 16.4 points per game.
• The 39.7 rebounds per game the Fighting Illini average rank first in the country, and are 9.7 more than the 30.0 their opponents collect per contest.
• Tomislav Ivisic is 82nd in college basketball play with 7.7 rebounds per game to lead the Fighting Illini.
• The Wildcats are 49th in the country at 34.5 rebounds per game. That's 2.6 more than the 31.9 their opponents average.
• Amari Williams averages 8.6 rebounds per game (42nd in college basketball) to lead the Wildcats.
• Illinois averages 101.5 points per 100 possessions on offense (46th in college basketball), and gives up 90.2 points per 100 possessions (91st in college basketball).
• The Wildcats' 105.3 points per 100 possessions on offense rank 12th in college basketball, and the 95.7 points they allow per 100 possessions rank 245th in college basketball.

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