College basketball picks: Illinois-Indiana prediction, odds, spread for February 18

The Indiana Hoosiers will return home for a matchup with the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday afternoon from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. The game will get started at noon ET and can be seen on ESPN.

My last nine college hoops bets went 6-3 heading into Saturday. Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

Illinois vs. Indiana odds

Spread: Indiana -6.5
Over/Under: 142
Moneyline: Indiana -250, Illinois +210

Illinois (17-8, 8-6 Big Ten) lost two of its last three games including Tuesday's 93-81 road defeat against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Terrence Shannon Jr. led the team with 20 points, but the Illini could not stop Jalen Pickett, who exploded for 41 points on 15-of-20 shooting. Illinois rates 24th overall in KenPom with an offense that is 46th in adjusted efficiency, and the defense is 28th.

Indiana (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten) ended a three-game winning streak in Wednesday's 64-62 road loss to the Northwestern Wildcats. Trayce Jackson-Davis had a great game with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but Boo Buie hit the game winner in the final seconds. Starting point guard Xavier Johnson missed the last two months with a broken foot and remains out. Reserve center Logan Duncomb hasn't played since January 14th with a non-COVID illness. The Hoosiers rate 20th in KenPom including 23rd in adjusted offensive efficiency and 36th defensively.

The Pick: Indiana -6.5

The Hoosiers find themselves in a bounce-back spot coming a disappointing loss on the road. Meanwhile, the Illini will play in their third stadium in the last week with consecutive road contests. I always love betting on good teams returning home after a road loss, and this is a fantastic betting spot for Indiana on Saturday afternoon.

  
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