Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 12/13/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: Peacock

The Illinois Fighting Illini (8-2) will go up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-0) at State Farm Center on Saturday.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers faced off with Wisconsin and walked away with a win by a score of 90-60 in their last game. Concerning personal fouls, the Cornhuskers ended up with 13 and Wisconsin finished the game with 18 personal fouls. They knocked down 7 of 32 shots from 3-point range. Wisconsin finished shooting 81.8% at the free throw line by burying 9 of 11 shots. Furthermore, Wisconsin snagged 28 rebounds (8 offensive, 20 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Wisconsin recorded 14 dimes and had 4 steals in the game. When talking about the defense, Nebraska allowed 34.4% from the field on 22 out of 64 shooting. They also recorded 20 assists for the contest as well as forcing 10 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In reference to hauling in boards, they earned 35 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Cornhuskers made 13 of their 15 attempts for a percentage of 86.7%. Nebraska finished the game having earned a 54.1% FG percentage (33 of 61) and converted 11 out of their 30 three-point attempts.

Rienk Mast is a player who was a factor in this matchup. He accounted for 17 points on 8 of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 26 mins and also grabbed 10 rebounds. He shot 53.3% from the field and also dished out 2 assists.

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Nebraska enters this matchup with a win-loss mark of 9-0 on the campaign. They average 83.2 pts per contest (87th in Division 1) while going 47.6% from the floor. The Cornhuskers are connecting on 34.8% on three-point shots (100 of 287) and 71.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, Nebraska is snagging 38.6 rebounds per game and has accumulated 167 dimes so far this season, which is 57th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 10.2 times per contest and as a team are committing 13.7 personal fouls per game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Cornhuskers are forcing 13.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.8 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 138th in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 120 relinquished this year. The Cornhuskers defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 37.9% (217 of 573) and they surrender 36.8 boards per game as a unit. They surrender 30.2% on shots from distance while they are 73rd in D-1 in points per game allowed (67.9).

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini took home the win by a final score of 88-80 when they faced Ohio State. The Fighting Illini corralled 25 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 33 in this contest. They turned it over 9 times, but didn't notch a steal. Ohio State committed 27 personal fouls in this contest which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for a total of 32 attempts. They were able to make 29 of those for a clip of 90.6%. Concerning shots from 3-point land, Illinois made 11 of their 27 attempts (40.7%). When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Illini finished the game shooting 24 out of 54 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.4%. The Fighting Illini allowed Ohio State to convert 28 of 61 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.9% for this contest. They went 32.1% from three-point range by connecting on 9 of 28 and ended up shooting 15 out of 21 at the free throw line (71.4%). Concerning rebounding, Illinois permitted Ohio State to collect 24 in all (4 offensive).

Keaton Wagler ended up being important for the Fighting Illini in this contest. He buried 6 out of 11 for this contest for a field goal rate of 54.5%, and totaled 2 rebounds. He tallied 23 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and earned 5 assists for the game.

Illinois has a mark of 8-2 so far this year. On the offensive side of the court, the Fighting Illini are connecting on 47.8% from the field, which is 84th in the nation. Illinois has earned 886 pts for the campaign (88.6 per game) and they pull in 42.4 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.0 times per game (211th in D-1) and they turn it over 9.7 times per contest. The Fighting Illini commit 14.3 fouls per game and they hit 78.9% from the charity stripe.

The Illinois defense gives up 31.9% on 3-point attempts (82 of 257) and their opponents are knocking down 68.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 12.4 assists and 32.0 total boards per game, which is 126th and 67th in those categories on the defensive end. The Fighting Illini defensively are ranked 121st in college in PPG surrendered with 70.4. They are forcing 9.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 40.5% from the floor (74th in Division 1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Nebraska

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