Illinois Fighting Illini vs Ohio State Buckeyes Prediction, 12/9/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Ohio State Buckeyes

Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Location: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: ESPN+

The Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1) will try to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2) at Value City Arena on Tuesday.

The Illinois Fighting Illini faced Tennessee and notched a win by a score of 75-62 in their last contest. Illinois finished with a 48.3% field goal percentage (28 out of 58) and made 11 out of their 28 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Fighting Illini made 8 of 14 shots for a rate of 57.1%. Regarding rebounding, they earned 30 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 14 dimes in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and having 5 steals. Concerning defense, Illinois let their opponent shoot 36.9% from the field on 24 of 65 shooting. Tennessee dished out 14 assists and had 4 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Tennessee snagged 44 rebounds (22 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Tennessee went 44.4% from the free throw line by converting 8 of 18 shots. They made 6 of their 20 tries from long range. In regard to fouls, the Fighting Illini walked away with 14 while Tennessee accumulated 18 fouls.

Keaton Wagler is one player who was a major contributor in the matchup. He shot 38.5% from the field and also earned 5 assists. He was on the court for 34 minutes and grabbed 8 boards. He was able to score 16 points on 5 out of 13 shooting.

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Illinois enters this matchup with a record of 7-2 on the year. They are losing possession via turnover 9.8 times per contest and as a team they commit 13.6 fouls per contest. As a unit, Illinois is pulling in 43.0 rebounds per game and has tallied 128 assists on the year, which is 244th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Fighting Illini are shooting 33.2% on shots from 3-point land (87 of 262) and 77.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 88.7 points per contest (26th in Division 1) while hitting 48.1% from the floor.

On defense, the Fighting Illini are forcing their opponents into 9.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.3 fouls. They are conceding 31.9% on shots from downtown and they are 100th in college hoops in PPG allowed (69.3). The Fighting Illini defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 39.9% (235 of 589) and they relinquish 32.2 rebounds per game as a group. They are 111th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 113 relinquished this season.

In their last game, the Ohio State Buckeyes took home the win by a final score of 86-82 against Northwestern. The Buckeyes recorded 19 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 for the matchup. They coughed it up 10 times, while earning 5 steals in this game. Northwestern had 20 fouls for the contest which got the Buckeyes to the free throw line for a total of 20 shots. They were able to make 12 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 60.0%. In relation to shots from 3-point land, Ohio State buried 4 of their 14 attempts (28.6%). When all was said and done, the Buckeyes ended up shooting 35 for 61 from the field which gave them a percentage of 57.4%. The Buckeyes allowed Northwestern to knock down 29 of 61 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 47.5% in this matchup. They finished shooting 33.3% from downtown by hitting 8 out of 24 and ended up shooting 16 out of 18 at the free throw line (88.9%). Concerning rebounds, Ohio State permitted Northwestern to snag 30 in total (11 offensive).

Brandon Noel was important for the Buckeyes in this game. He racked up 29 points in his 35 mins of playing time and had 1 assist for the matchup. He buried 13 out of 15 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 86.7%, and had 7 rebounds.

Ohio State has a mark of 7-1 so far this season. The Buckeyes have committed 16.3 fouls per contest and they go 77.8% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 17.6 times per contest (44th in the country) and they turn the ball over 11.8 times per game. Ohio State has scored 707 pts for the season (88.4 per game) and they pull in 37.6 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Buckeyes are hitting on 53.0% from the floor, which is ranked 4th in college.

The Ohio State defense surrenders 26.8% on shots from distance (52 of 194) and opponents are connecting on 67.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 12.1 dimes and 29.3 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 105th and 9th in college hoops. The Buckeyes on defense are ranked 94th in D-1 in PPG given up with 69.1. They are forcing 12.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 41.8% from the field (117th in Division 1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Ohio State

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