Oregon Ducks vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 3/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Oregon Ducks vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Illinois Fighting Illini (22-7) will go up against the Oregon Ducks (11-17) at State Farm Center on Tuesday.

The Oregon Ducks took the court against Northwestern and took a loss by a score of 63-62 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Ducks finished with 13 and Northwestern totaled 13 personal fouls. They also made 4 out of their 16 attempts from distance. Northwestern finished the game at 75.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 9 of their 12 shots. Moreover, Northwestern snagged 31 boards (11 offensive, 20 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Northwestern earned 17 dimes and had 11 steals for the matchup. When discussing the defense, Oregon let their opponent shoot 44.6% from the floor on 25 out of 56 shooting. They also dished out 17 assists for the matchup while forcing 11 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 31 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Ducks converted 9 of 12 attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. Oregon wrapped up the contest having earned a 39.0% FG percentage (23 out of 59) and converted 7 out of their 19 3-pointers.

Nathan Bittle is a guy who was a major factor in this contest. He finished shooting 61.5% from the field and recorded 3 assists. He saw the court for 39 mins and totaled 9 rebounds. He accumulated 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting.

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Oregon enters this one with a mark of 11-17 this season. They currently have an average of 71.6 pts per game (284th in the nation) while shooting 43.0% from the field. The Ducks are hitting 32.5% on shots from 3-point land (223 of 687) and 72.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Oregon is collecting 34.7 rebounds per game and has accumulated 396 assists so far this year, which is 203rd in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.0 times per contest and as a team they commit 15.9 fouls per game.

Defensively, the Ducks have forced 10.7 turnovers per game and they draw 17.1 fouls. They rank 162nd in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 378 relinquished for the year. The Ducks are allowing a FG percentage of 44.0% (713 of 1,621) and they surrender 34.0 rebounds per contest as a team. They are relinquishing 34.1% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 195th in college hoops in points per game allowed (74.1).

In their last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini took a loss by a score of 84-70 against Michigan. Concerning team rebounding, Illinois permitted Michigan to get 30 in all (10 on the offensive side). They finished 36.4% from distance by going 8 out of 22 and ended up going 14 of 17 from the free throw line (82.4%). The Fighting Illini permitted Michigan to knock down 31 of their 59 tries from the field which left them shooting 52.5% for the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Illini ended up shooting 26 for 63 from the field which had them at 41.3%. Concerning 3-point shots, Illinois buried 9 of their 29 attempts (31.0%). They were able to knock down 9 of the free throws for a clip of 75.0%. Michigan earned 14 personal fouls for the game which took the Fighting Illini to the charity stripe for 12 attempts. They turned the ball over 9 times, while earning 5 steals in the game. The Fighting Illini were able to corral 13 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 24 for this game.

Keaton Wagler was important for the Fighting Illini for this contest. He buried 7 out of 17 for the contest for a rate of 41.2%, and earned 4 rebounds. He totaled 23 points in his 38 minutes of playing time and had 3 dimes for the game.

Illinois has a mark of 22-7 so far this season. As an offense, the Fighting Illini are shooting 46.3% from the floor, which is ranked 123rd in the country. Illinois has accumulated 2,454 points so far this year (84.6 per contest) and they average 40.8 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 14.7 times per contest (126th in the country) and they are giving up possession 9.1 times per contest. The Fighting Illini are committing 13.2 fouls per contest and they connect on 79.1% from the free throw line.

The Illinois defense surrenders 32.4% on 3-pointers (244 of 754) and opponents are connecting on 72.5% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 13.5 dimes and 30.7 boards per game, which has them ranked 198th and 21st in the nation. The Fighting Illini are ranked 67th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 69.6. They are forcing 7.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.1% from the floor (41st in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Illinois

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