It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Illinois-Kentucky prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Illinois-Kentucky.
The Kentucky Wildcats got through the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, unlike 2024. Last year, the No. 3 seed Wildcats lost to a 14 seed. This year, UK handled a 14 seed with few problems, easily dispatching Troy. Coach Mark Pope has clearly done a better job this year than what John Calipari did last year in Lexington. However, Calipari has punched a ticket to the Sweet 16 with Arkansas, which beat St. John’s on Saturday. Kentucky fans are not going to be happy if Cal is in the Sweet 16 while Kentucky falls short. Yet, that’s possible as the Wildcats prepare for this fascinating Round of 32 game against Illinois.
Both Illinois and Kentucky have been hit by injury or illness this season. Both teams have had their desired starting fives disrupted by attrition. Illinois coach Brad Underwood has, like Mark Pope, not been able to put his best lineups on the floor with great frequency. This was not by choice, but by necessity. Now we get to see how these teams match up in the Big Dance. It will be highly intriguing to watch.
Here are the Illinois-Kentucky College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
2025 March Madness Tournament Odds: Illinois-Kentucky Odds
Illinois: -1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -128
Kentucky: +1.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +106
Over: 170.5 (-110)
Under: 170.5 (-110)
How to Watch Illinois vs Kentucky
Time: 5:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. PT
TV: CBS
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kentucky is not 100-percent healthy. Star guard Lamont Butler is playing, but his arm is clearly hurt and he is gutting through each game he plays, including Friday night’s NCAA Tournament win over Troy. Butler not being fully healthy is an obvious limitation for Kentucky. The Wildcats need Butler’s scoring, because they are not a good defensive team, and if Illinois shoots the 3-pointer reasonably well, the Illini become hugely difficult to beat. Kasparas Jakucionis is a player who — if he gets hot — becomes very hard to guard. Kentucky might not have the defensive toughness to hold down the Illinois offense. Illinois could very easily hang 95 points on Kentucky in this game, which would strongly point to an Illini win and cover in a game which is priced very close to a pick ’em.
Why Kentucky Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kentucky shows signs of improving in the NCAA Tournament under coach Mark Pope. Kentucky looked solid in the first round against Troy on Friday. Noticeably, Kentucky was competent on defense, which is a really good and encouraging sign heading into this game versus Illinois. Kentucky can score in bunches. The Wildcats do not have to be incredible on defense, merely solid. If they are, they can be the team which scores 90 while their opponent scores just 85 or 87. Kentucky lost early in the NCAA Tournament, which gave this team a lot of added rest before the NCAA Tournament. That extra rest seemed to matter a lot against Troy, and it could carry over into this game versus an Illinois team which is talented but erratic. If the Illini miss their 3s, which they have often done this season, their offense usually goes into the tank and they flounder.
Final Illinois-Kentucky Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Illinois, but the bigger realization about this game is the high total of 170. If you think Illinois wins, go over. If you think Kentucky wins, go under. There is a lot to consider here. We don’t have an official recommendation for one side or total, but we can guess which way this game will go based on the score and game flow.
Final Illinois-Kentucky Prediction & Pick: Illinois -1.5
The post Illinois vs Kentucky prediction, odds, pick for Men’s March Madness 2025 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
