Illinois vs. Baylor NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions

When it comes to teams doing all they can to get a feel for Final Four competition, nobody tops the schedule the Baylor Bears are taking on this week. Head coach Scott Drew is just hopeful he can go along for the ride that begins Wednesday night up in Indianapolis against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Baylor Bears

Wednesday, December 02, 2020 – 10:00 PM EST at Bankers Life Fieldhouse

A late-night tip on ESPN, this one will be set up for DVR on the smart TV just in case I begin to doze while watching on the not-so-smart TV. BetOnline sent its overnight NCAA Basketball odds out with Baylor favored by 4½ and the total set on 142.

Bears Open with Two Wins and Covers

Their season hit a speed bump just as things were about to begin last week, and the Bears had their season opener with Arizona State canceled due to Drew’s positive test. He’s been in quarantine since November 21, and is expected to join his squad for this Jimmy V Classic matchup. The first game on the card ain’t too shabby either with Gonzaga going against West Virginia, and Baylor is set to take on the Zags this weekend in an early 1/2 collision.

Baylor was left scrambling to find games to fill in, winding up in a Las Vegas bubble over the weekend against Louisiana-Lafayette and Washington. With Jerome Tang filling in for Drew, the Bears picked up dubyas in each matchup, taking down the Ragin’ Cajuns 112-82 on as 21-point favorites at most sports betting sites, and again grabbing the cover in an 86-52 rout of the Huskies while giving up 11.

We knew coming in that Baylor was going to have one of the best backcourts in the country with Jared Butler, MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell. That trio announced themselves in a big way in the two wins, combining for 97 points, 27 boards and 27 assists. The backcourt looks even deeper now after Adam Flagler’s effort off the bench in those contests, the sophomore scoring 29 and hitting 7-of-14 from beyond the arc.

Illini Grab Two Blowouts and Nail-Biter to Begin Season

Should the NCAAB futures odds ring true and Illinois winds up third behind Iowa and Wisconsin in the Big Ten, then Brad Underwood might just have the best 3rd-place team in conference history. The Fighting Illini struggled in Underwood’s first two years at the helm in Champaign, but enjoyed a 21-win tally last year and all five starters from that squad returned.

Illinois stayed home over the holidays and picked up three wins in the matter of a little more than 48 hours. The first two were nothing more than glorified scrimmages against North Carolina A&T and Chicago State. Favored by 29½ and 42½, respectively, the Fighting Illini didn’t disappoint their backers with 112-60 and 97-38 finals. Kofi Cockburn recorded double-doubles in each triumph.

Playing for a third consecutive day might have been asking a little too much, especially this early in the season. Illinois was giving up 16 to Ohio of the MAC, and the Bobcats pushed the Fighting Illini to the limit in a 77-75 decision. Ohio actually led by four with just under two minutes to go, but a couple of late 3-pointers lifted Illinois. Cockburn made it 3-for-3 on the young season with his third double-double.

First Meeting Since 2014 LV Invitational

It’s been a little more than six years since the programs last got together, that matchup also coming at a neutral site in the 2014 Las Vegas Invitational. It was a battle of Illinois’ high-octane offense led by Rayvonte Rice and Baylor’s strong defense. Rice scored 17 and the Fighting Illini prevailed, 62-54, as 4½-point favorites, but the Bears played well enough on defense to stop the final well short of a 133-point total.

Illinois also beat Baylor in the first round of the 1987 Maui Invitational, a lopsided 73-50 win and cover, plus topped the Bears in Champaign a year earlier by an even wider margin, 92-68. Freshman guard Andre Curbelo, who scored 18 off the bench in the Illinois win over Chicago State is questionable for this one after turning an ankle in the Ohio game. The two games within the game to watch Wednesday start in the post where Cockburn goes up against Baylor’s Jonathan Tcharmwa Tchatchoua, the transfer from UNLV. Out on the point, we have Mitchell for Baylor opposite Ayo Dosunmu. I like the Fighting Illini straight up with my NCAA Basketball pick.

My Pick: Illinois +165 at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)

Illinois +165

Visit Site

The post Illinois vs. Baylor NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions appeared first on Picks.