Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL

TV: ESPN+

The Illinois Fighting Illini (11-3) host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-7) at State Farm Center on Thursday.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights stepped onto the hardwood against Oregon and took home the win by a score of 88-85 in their last game. In the matter of fouls, the Scarlet Knights ended up walking away with 18 while Oregon finished the game with 22 fouls. They knocked down 13 out of their 32 shots from distance. Oregon finished 75.0% at the charity stripe by making 12 of 16 tries. Furthermore, Oregon had 41 rebounds (14 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Oregon doled out 19 assists and had 5 steals for the contest. When talking about defending, Rutgers allowed their opponent to shoot 45.5% from the field on 30 out of 66 shooting. They also dished out 10 assists in this contest in addition to forcing 17 turnovers and having 10 steals. In reference to pulling down boards, they compiled 30 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Scarlet Knights made 30 of 34 tries for a rate of 88.2%. Rutgers walked away from the contest having earned a 43.3% field goal percentage (26 out of 60) and buried 6 of their 18 shots from beyond the arc.

Tariq Francis is a player who was a contributor in the game. He accumulated 30 points on 10 of 16 shooting. He played for 30 mins played and snagged 4 rebounds. He went 62.5% from the floor and also dished out 4 assists.

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Rutgers will enter this contest with a record of 8-7 so far this season. They currently have an average of 70.3 points per contest (310th in college) while connecting on 40.6% from the floor. The Scarlet Knights are shooting 32.0% from downtown (95 of 297) and 72.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, Rutgers is snagging 35.7 rebounds per game and has totaled 160 assists this season, which ranks 353rd in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest and as a group they commit 16.5 personal fouls per contest.

On defense, the Scarlet Knights are forcing 12.4 turnovers every game and they draw 19.4 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 253rd in college in allowing assists with 216 surrendered this season. The Scarlet Knights defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.4% (394 of 888) and they surrender 35.9 boards per game as a group. They give up 36.7% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 162nd in college in points per game from their opponents (72.5).

When they last stepped on the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini got the win with a final of 73-65 against Penn State. When talking about how they rebounded, Illinois allowed Penn State to collect 29 in total (11 on the offensive side). They shot 21.1% from three-point range by going 8 of 38 and ended up going 9 out of 14 from the free throw line (64.3%). The Fighting Illini permitted Penn State to convert 24 of their 69 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 34.8% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Illini finished shooting 22 out of 56 from the floor which gave them a rate of 39.3%. When discussing shots from distance, Illinois made 6 of their 27 attempts (22.2%). They were able to bury 23 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 82.1%. Penn State committed 26 personal fouls for this game which took the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for a total of 28 attempts. They turned the ball over 9 times, while earning 4 steals in this matchup. The Fighting Illini earned 30 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 41 for this contest.

Kylan Boswell was important for the Fighting Illini in this game. He scored 18 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He converted 5 of 13 in this game for a rate of 38.5%, and accumulated 4 rebounds.

Illinois has a record of 11-3 on the year. As an offense, the Fighting Illini are connecting on 47.8% from the floor, which ranks them 79th in the nation. Illinois has scored 1,220 pts on the campaign (87.1 per game) and they average 42.4 boards per game. They are getting an assist 14.9 times per game (147th in the country) and they are turning it over 10.0 times per contest. The Fighting Illini commit 13.9 fouls per contest and they go 79.3% from the free throw line.

The Illinois defense surrenders 31.1% on 3-point shots (111 of 357) and opponents are converting on 68.8% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 12.1 assists and 31.0 boards per game, which ranks them 82nd and 38th in the nation. The Fighting Illini defensively are ranked 66th in college hoops in points given up per game with 68.2. They are forcing 8.6 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 39.6% from the floor (36th in the country).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Illinois

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