On Tuesday night, the State Farm Center will host a collegiate basketball game between the Syracuse Orange and the 16th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Syracuse is 3-3 this season and are riding a two-game losing streak after coming off a 73-72 home loss against the Bryant Bulldogs on Saturday. Meanwhile, Illinois is 5-1 and coming off a 92-59 home win over the Lindenwood Lions on Friday.
Syracuse Orange vs Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Odds
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Syracuse Orange vs Illinois Fighting Illini Match Details
Fixture: Syracuse Orange at Illinois Fighting Illini
Time and date: Tuesday, November 29; 7:30 pm ET
Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, IL
Syracuse Orange vs Illinois Fighting Illini Key Stats
The Orange are a good offensive team, averaging 74.8 points per game. They've distributed the basketball pretty well, averaging 12 assists over game.
Freshman guard Judah Mintz has led the team with 16.2 points, two rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 29.3 minutes per game. The Orange can score well to keep them in games. Their defense needs to improve, though, as they allow 70 points per game. Syracuse is doing decently, giving up six blocks and 7.7 steals per game, so they need to improve on that side of the floor.
The Fighting Illini are a good offensive team as well, scoring 84.7 points per game and shooting 50.8%. Senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr is averaging 20.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.5 blocks, and one steal per game in 29.2 minutes.
Defensively, they have been doing a decent job, giving up 61.5 points per game. They need to do better, as they're forcing 5.2 blocks and 10.2 steals per outing.
Syracuse Orange vs Illinois Fighting Illini Best Picks and Prediction
Illinois is 16th in the country, while Syracuse is unranked. Illinois is the better team in almost every single facet of the game, so this should be an interesting game. The Fighting Illini are 4-1 ATS in their last five games, so go with Illinois to cover the spread.
Pick: Illinois Fighting Illini -11.5 (-110)