Illinois Fighting Illini vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 01/11/26

The Fighting Illini will make their way to Carver-Hawkeye Arena looking to make it five wins in a row. Illinois is ranked No.16 in the country and has earned that spot coming off a dominant 81-55 win over Rutgers in which they shot 44.1% from the floor. Things didn’t go exactly as planned for No. 19 Iowa in its last outing as the Hawkeyes fell 70-67 to Minnesota while shooting just 39.7%. Iowa has been strong at home this season, going 9-0, but this will be its toughest test yet and will require a strong performance if they want to keep this one close.  

Illinois has just three losses on the season, all coming against top-25 opponents in Alabama, UConn, and Nebraska. The Fighting Illini have a notable size advantage in this matchup and are shooting 47.6% from the floor on the year. Iowa will struggle to get rebounds in this matchup, which should open the door for plenty of second-chance opportunities for the Fighting Illini. Illinois is averaging 45.8 rebounds per game compared to Iowa’s 34.4. However, Iowa has shot the ball extremely well this season, making 51.9% of its shots. At the end of the day, Illinois’ rebounding capabilities and size will likely get Iowa into foul trouble. Look for Illinois to take care of business on the road and pick up the victory as the slight underdog. 

Illinois vs Iowa prediction: Illinois (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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