Rutgers vs. Illinois odds, picks and prediction

The second-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini (20-6) take on the seventh-seeded Rutgers Scarlet Knights (15-10) Friday in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Below, we analyze the Rutgers-Illinois odds and lines with NCAA men's basketball picks and predictions.

The Illini are No. 3 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports. They are among four Big Ten teams in the top 10, joined by No. 4 Michigan, No. 6 Iowa and No. 10 Ohio State.

The Rutgers-Illinois winner advances to a Saturday semifinal against the winner of Friday night's Iowa-Wisconsin tilt.

Rutgers vs. Illinois: Odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:50 a.m. ET.

• Money line : Rutgers +280 (bet $100 to win $280) | Illinois -350 (bet $350 to win $100)
• Against the spread/ATS : Rutgers +7.5 (-110) | Illinois -7.5 (-110)
• Over/Under : 136.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

Rutgers vs. Illinois: Three things to know

1. Rutgers beat Illinois 91-88 Dec. 20 in the lone regular-season meeting between the two. The Scarlet Knights, who were 1.5-point home underdogs, were ranked No. 17 at the time, and the Illini were No. 13. Junior G Ron Harper Jr. scored a team-high 28 points for Rutgers, which rallied from an 11-point, first-half deficit, produced an 18-5 run in the second half and held on late for the win.
2. Rutgers eliminated Indiana 61-50 Thursday in its Big Ten tourney opener. Trailing 48-47 with 9:48 to go, Rutgers held IU scoreless for six-plus minutes to pull away. Harper Jr. led the Knights with 13 points and 11 rebounds, C Myles Johnson added 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds and senior G Jacob Young also scored 13 points. The game finished well Under the O/U line of 129.5.
3. This will be the Illini's first game in the 2021 Big Ten tourney. They earned a bye as the second seed. Illinois, winners in 11 of its last 12, enters on a four-game win-and-cover streak. Junior G Ayo Dosunmu leads the Illini with 20.9 PPG and 5.2 APG, while sophomore C Kofi Cockburn pulls down a team-high 9.6 RPG. In the December loss to Rutgers, Dosunmu tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Cockburn had 17 points and 12 boards.

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Rutgers vs. Illinois: Odds, lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

Illinois 76, Rutgers 64

Money line (ML)

PASS. The Illini are well-rested and won't have a problem knocking off the Scarlet Knights, but the -350 ML price is too chalky.

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Against the spread (ATS)

ILLINOIS -7.5 (- 110) is the STRONGEST PLAY - 1½ times your usual wager. The Illini's loss at the Scarlet Knights in December was an anomaly. The Illini are a much better team.

Rutgers - which even with a loss here is expected to earn the program's first NCAA Tournament bid since 1991 - will run out of gas in the second half since it played the night before.

ATS: Rutgers 13-11-1 | Illinois 16-9-1

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 136.5 (- 115) is the way to go. Illinois averages 80.7 PPG; Rutgers scores 70.0 PPG. Plus, the Over is 6-2-1 in the last nine head-to-head contests.

With this being a tournament game, expect more fouls/free-throw attempts than usual down the stretch.

O/U records: Rutgers 11-13-1 | Illinois 14-11-1

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