Marquee Matchup at Jimmy V Classic
The No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini try to avoid a second straight loss when they take on the No. 2 Texas Longhorns in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York on Tuesday night. Illinois is coming off a road loss to unbeaten Maryland on Friday night, with the Illini’s only losses this season coming against ranked opponents.
Texas has won its first six contests, though this will be its first game outside of its home state. Both teams are looking to make a statement with a win in this one, so to help with your betting online, take a look at our in-depth preview of the contest.
Let’s check the latest college basketball odds, stats, injury reports and college basketball lines for Illinois vs Texas. We’ve plenty of NCAA basketball odds for you to consider.
Illinois Trying to Bounce Back
The Illinois Fighting Illini didn’t exactly tip off the Big Ten portion of their schedule the way they wanted on Friday night, falling on the road to undefeated Maryland. It was the second loss in four games for coach Brad Underwood’s squad, but those could be forgotten with a win over the unbeaten Texas Longhorns.
Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. had a team-high 19 points in that loss, though he went 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Shannon, who transferred to Illinois from Texas Tech in the offseason, is leading the Illini in both scoring (19.8 points per game) and rebounding (6.4) while also dishing out 3.5 assists per contest.
Sophomore forward Dain Dainja has been very effective in limited time. Dainja is second on the team in scoring with 11.1 points per game despite playing just 18.5 minutes per contest, thanks in part to 74.1% shooting from the floor. Dainja is also averaging 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals.
Junior forward Coleman Hawkins is a presence in the paint on the defensive end, averaging 3.0 blocks. Hawkins is also leading Illinois in assists with 4.0 per contest while scoring 10.1 points and grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game.
Scoop on Free Play from the Locker Room
Texas On First Real Road Trip Of Season
The Texas Longhorns have played at home or near home for the early part of the 2022-23 season, with only a contest against Northern Arizona coming outside of Austin. Now, the Longhorns make a big step to the Big Apple and a Top 25 opponent, though Texas has already defeated ranked opponents Gonzaga and Creighton.
“I don’t think we’ve proven anything,” Texas coach Chris Beard said after Thursday’s win over Creighton. “We’re just a team that’s trying to get better.”
The Longhorns are pretty good as is, especially sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter, who is leading the team in scoring with 16.0 points per game. Hunter is hitting 37% from 3-point range and is also averaging 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Senior Marcus Carr is averaging 15.5 points and 4.2 assists while also recording 2.0 steals per contest. Carr played at Minnesota for two seasons before transferring to Texas prior to the 2021-22 campaign, so he has some experience playing against the Illini.
Illinois vs Texas Game Injuries
Illinois vs Texas Head-To-Head
The Texas Longhorns lead the all-time series with the Illinois Fighting Illini 3-2. The Longhorns won the last matchup between these teams, which was also played in New York in November 2010.
The other four matchups have come on the two campuses, with the home team coming out on top each time. The college basketball lines for Tuesday’s contest are favoring the undefeated Longhorns to come out on top again in this one.
Illinois vs Texas Game Information
- Game: Illinois (6-2) vs Texas (6-0)
- Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City
- Day/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m. ET
- Illinois vs Texas Live Stream: TBS.com
Illinois vs Texas Betting Lines
Illinois vs Texas Picks & Prediction
The Illinois Fighting Illini have played some ranked opponents already and had their troubles, and now they get a Texas Longhorns team that is filled with confidence. Look for a big game from Shannon to keep this one close, but we like the Longhorns to pull away for the win.
When making your college basketball picks, take Texas to win and cover.
The Illinois Fighting Illini are listed at +125 in our Vegas NCAAB lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Illinois Fighting Illini, you have a chance to win $125. The Texas Longhorns are -145, offering a chance to win $69 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Illinois Fighting Illini a 44.44% chance to win, with Texas Longhorns at 59.18%.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
Illinois vs Texas Trends
Illinois vs Texas Edge
Illinois vs Texas Results
Illinois vs Texas Game Summary
