The Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2) will aim for a signature non-conference victory when they host the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers (9-0) on Saturday evening. Illinois has already notched a pair of top-20 wins this season, beating then-No. 19 Arkansas on Nov. 28 and No. 20 Wisconsin on Tuesday. Tennessee extended its unbeaten start to the season with a 75-62 win over Miami (FL) at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. This is the second game of a home-and-home series between the Vols and Illini following Tennessee’s 86-79 win in Knoxville last season.
Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the State Farm Center. Tennessee is favored by 1.5 points in the latest Illinois vs. Tennessee odds, while the over/under is 147.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Tennessee vs. Illinois picks, you’ll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered Week 6 of the 2024-25 season on a 174-125 betting roll (+2196) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Tennessee vs. Illinois. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the Illinois vs. Tennessee game:
Illinois has historically been a difficult place for top-ranked teams to visit, with Hall of Fame point guards like Magic Johnson and Chris Paul losing in Champaign as members of No. 1 teams during their respective careers. The Illini did not retain any starters from last year’s team, but they have arguably a higher upside than last year’s roster. Freshman point guard Kasparas Jakucionis is considered a lottery pick in next year’s NBA draft, and he is averaging 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists over his last four games.
Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell provides experience and an elite defensive presence, and some of his top games have come against the best teams on the schedule so far this season. He had 19 points in a win over Wisconsin on Tuesday after scoring 18 points against Arkansas and 17 points against Alabama. The Illini are 3-1 in their last four home games against AP No. 1 teams. See which team to pick here.
Tennessee holds the No. 1 ranking for just the third time in school history after winning each of its first nine games by at least 13 points. The Vols have only played one true road game, but they crushed Louisville by 22 points in that outing. They have also blown out then-No. 13 Baylor and Virginia on neutral courts along with a 26-point home win over Syracuse.
Lone returning starter Zakai Zeigler leads Tennessee with 12.1 points and 8.1 assists per game, while North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier is averaging a team-high 19.1 points. Charlotte transfer Igor Milicic Jr. is adding 12.9 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds. The Vols have an outstanding defense yet again this season, making them a tremendous road team. See which team to pick here.
The model has simulated Tennessee vs. Illinois 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Illinois vs. Tennessee, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Tennessee vs. Illinois spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 174-125 roll on top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.
