Check out our free Alabama A&M vs Illinois pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Champaign. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Alabama A&M vs Illinois Pick & Preview: Saturday, December 17th Betting Odds

Bulldogs vs Fighting Illini Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Illinois Fighting Illini
  • Where: Champaign at State Farm Center
  • Date: Saturday, December 17th
  • Betting Odds: Alabama A&M +30, ALAAM +5700 | ILL -171639 O/U 145.5

Bulldogs Preview:

Alabama A&M will take the floor against the Fighting Illini with an overall record of 3-6. So far, the Bulldogs have played 2 games on the road, with a record of 0-2. For the season, Alabama A&M has been the underdog in 6 games, sitting with a mark of 1-5. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Bulldogs being +30 point underdogs.

Alabama A&M will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Garrett Hicks who is averaging 16.88 points per game for the Bulldogs. Hicks is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Bulldogs’ offensive gameplan is the play of Dailin Smith who has hit 45.5% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 13.11 points per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Alabama A&M this season, as they are currently ranked 445th in college basketball at 61.4 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that that have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Bulldogs’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 26.7%, placing them 542nd in the NCAA.

Fighting Illini Preview:

The Illinois Fighting Illini head into today’s game in what will be their 11th game of the season, posting a record of 7-3. Currently, the Fighting Illini have been the home team 6 times, sitting with a record of 5-1. The Fighting Illini’s are sitting with a betting line that is -30 points in their favor. For the season, Illinois has been favored to win in 7 games, sitting with a mark of 5-2.

Illinois will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. who is averaging 17.8 points per game for the Fighting Illini. Jr. is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Fighting Illini’s offensive gameplan is the play of Dain Dainja who has hit 72.6% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 10.4 points per game.

So far this season, Illinois has put together a strong scoring offense at 75.8 points per game (66th). This strong figure has come despite the Fighting Illini playing at a slow tempo compared to other schools. For the season, they have hit 36.7% of their shots from outside, which is closer to the NCAA average. Illinois’ overall field goal percentage currently sits at 45.3%

Free Spread Prediction: Alabama A&M Bulldogs +30

If you’re deciding whether to down a bet vs the spread in this matchup, we recommend taking the Alabama A&M Bulldogs to cover as +30 point underdogs. One thing that often causes problems for team’s who are heavy underdogs is when they are matched up against a team that can dictate the pace of play. However, both Alabama A&M and Illinois come into today’s game near the NCAA average in possessions per game. Given that style of place won’t be an issue for the Bulldogs and the fact that they have 4-1 vs the spread in their last 5 games as underdogs, we like them to cover the spread on the road.