The 13^th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini (8-2) and Missouri Tigers (7-4) square off in an appealing college basketball betting opportunity on Friday, December 22 at 9:00 PM ET at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The Fighting Illini are slight favorites to win with a point spread at -6.5 (-110).

 

The Fighting Illini have gone 4-1 in their last five matchups and were able to get back on track quickly after a recent defeat. This was a 74-57 win over the Colgate Raiders to help put them back on the winning post after losing to the Tennesse Volunteers in the previous game.

 

Terrence Shannon Jr. helps drive their offense with 20.9 points each game along with 2.4 assists. He is making 50.0 percent of his shots and 80.6 percent of his free throws.

 

The Illini are putting up 79.4 points per game and making 46.5 percent of their shots. They move the ball around at a solid rate at 12.0 assists each game, but could do better here.

 

They are allowing opposing teams to average 64.2 points per game, which greatly helps their chances at winning. They have also been active on the boards with 44.8 rebounds overall, get 4.5 blocks, and create 4.3 steals each game.

 

The Tigers have lost their last two games and are 3-2 overall. Their previous defeat was a 93-87 showing against the Seton Hall Pirates. Prior to that, was the loss to one of the best teams in the country, the Kansas Jayhawks (73-64).

 

Sean East II averages 17.1 points per game and 3.9 assists. He is finding the basket for scoring opportunities at 56.6 percent of the time and is making 80.6 percent of his foul shots.

 

The Tigers are getting 75.5 points per game and shooting 45.1 percent from the field. They do a slightly better job at moving the ball to find the open man with 14.2 assists each matchup.

 

They are giving up 70.1 points to opposing teams, which does not give them much room to operate here. They also have 32.8 rebounds total, 6.2 blocks, and 8.6 steals to create some havoc on the defensive end.

 

MyBookie offers their odds for this showdown, which shows that the Illinois Fighting Illini are slight favorites to win. Looking into market insights, the Illini have a 78.0 percent chance at winning.

The Fighting Illini are in a great position to win here. Look for them to show a consistent performance to cover the spread.