Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Illinois Fighting Illini (14-3) will try to defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-7) at State Farm Center on Saturday.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers took the court against Wisconsin and took a loss by a score of 78-75 in their last contest. With respect to personal fouls, the Golden Gophers finished with 14 and Wisconsin recorded 19 personal fouls. They knocked down 14 of 33 shots from distance. Wisconsin ended up going 77.8% at the free throw line by converting 14 of 18 tries. Furthermore, Wisconsin snagged 32 boards (6 offensive, 26 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Wisconsin earned 17 assists and had 1 steal in this matchup. In regard to defending, Minnesota let their opponent shoot 45.5% from the field on 25 out of 55 shooting. They also doled out 20 assists for this game while creating 5 turnovers and earning 3 steals. With regard to hauling in boards, they compiled 26 with 4 of them being of the offensive sort. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Golden Gophers made 16 of 24 shots for a percentage of 66.7%. Minnesota ended the contest having earned a 51.9% field goal percentage (27 out of 52) and made 5 out of their 18 shots from distance.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is someone who was a factor for this game. He finished 53.8% from the floor but wasn't able to get an assist. He played for 34 minutes and also snagged 8 rebounds. He ended up with 20 points on 7 out of 13 shooting.

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Minnesota comes into this matchup with a mark of 10-7 on the year. They are giving up possession 11.1 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 16.3 fouls every game. As a team, Minnesota is snagging 34.5 rebounds per game and has accounted for 315 dimes for the campaign, which is 23rd in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Golden Gophers are connecting on 33.0% on shots from downtown (129 of 391) and 69.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 73.1 pts per game (272nd in the nation) while connecting on 46.2% from the field.

On defense, the Golden Gophers are able to force 11.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.4 personal fouls. They are surrendering 33.6% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 36th in the nation in PPG allowed (66.8). The Golden Gophers defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 42.2% (398 of 944) and they relinquish 31.9 rebounds per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 186th in college in allowing assists with 229 relinquished so far this year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini got the victory with a final of 79-68 against Northwestern. The Fighting Illini were able to snag 19 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards totaling 32 for the contest. They also coughed up the ball 7 times, while getting 6 steals in the matchup. Northwestern committed 14 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for a total of 8 tries. They were able to make 8 of those for a percentage of 100.0%. With regard to 3-point shots, Illinois knocked down 11 of 30 tries (36.7%). Overall, the Fighting Illini ended up shooting 30 for 63 from the floor which had them shooting 47.6%. The Fighting Illini permitted Northwestern to convert 22 of 56 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 39.3% in this game. They shot 36.0% from distance by going 9 out of 25 and finished the game at 15 out of 17 at the charity stripe (88.2%). When talking about attacking the glass, Illinois permitted Northwestern to snag 26 in all (12 offensive).

Keaton Wagler pitched in for the Fighting Illini in the game. He knocked down 5 out of 9 for this contest for a field goal rate of 55.6%, and had 5 rebounds. He earned 19 points in his 34 mins on the court and had 4 dimes in this contest.

Illinois has a mark of 14-3 this year. As an offense, the Fighting Illini are hitting on 47.7% from the field, which has them ranked 70th in college. Illinois has accounted for 1,455 pts this year (85.6 per contest) and they pull down 41.8 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 14.6 times per contest (163rd in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 9.8 times per contest. The Fighting Illini are responsible for committing 13.2 personal fouls every game and they connect on 80.2% from the free throw line.

The Fighting Illini defensively are ranked 47th in college in PPG given up with 67.5. They have forced 8.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 39.5% from the field (27th in D-1). The Illinois defense gives up 31.2% from downtown (135 of 433) and their opponents are connecting on 70.0% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 12.3 dimes and 31.0 boards every game, which is 94th and 29th in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Illinois

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