A top-25 college basketball matchup is set for Wednesday when the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide take on the No. 25 Illinois Fighting Illini. The Crimson Tide began the season ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25, but slid to eighth after a loss on Friday to the Purdue Boilermakers. Meanwhile, the Illini moved into the top 25 after wins over Eastern Illinois, SIU-Edwardsville and Oakland where they outscored their opponents by an average of nearly 30 points per game.
Tip-off from Legacy Arena in Birmingham is set for 9 p.m. ET. The Crimson Tide are 8.5-point favorites in the latest Alabama vs. Illinois odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 167.5. Before entering any Illinois vs. Alabama picks, you need to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 3 of the 2024-25 season on a 156-114 betting roll (+1762) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has dialed in on Alabama vs. Illinois and just revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball betting lines and trends for Illinois vs. Alabama:
- Alabama vs. Illinois spread: Alabama -8.5
- Alabama vs. Illinois over/under: 167.5 points
- Alabama vs. Illinois money line: Alabama -368, Illinois +288
- Alabama vs. Illinois picks: See picks here
- Alabama vs. Illinois streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Alabama can cover
Nate Oats has taken Alabama to new heights during his brief tenure, with the Crimson Tide making the Final Four for the first time in program history last season. Now Alabama is understandably viewed as a national title contender, though the Crimson Tide are coming off an 87-78 loss to Purdue on Friday.
Mark Sears led the team with 15 points in the loss and Grant Nelson had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Sears was a consensus first-team All-American last year after averaging 21.5 points per game and he's averaging 17.3 points per game early this season. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why Illinois can cover
Meanwhile, Illinois has had a week to rest coming off a 66-54 win over Oakland last Wednesday. Tomislav Ivisic led all scorers with 20 points in the victory and the Croatian is averaging 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game to start the season.
Freshman forward Will Riley is averaging 17.7 points per game this season to lead the team and is shooting 69.2% from the 3-point line. Illinois has covered the spread in seven of its last nine games and Alabama is only 1-3 against the spread in 2024-25. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Alabama vs. Illinois picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, predicting the team combine for 163 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 70% of simulations. You can see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Illinois vs. Alabama, and which side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out.
