NCAAB: #4 Marquette vs #23 Illinois Odds, and Picks (Nov 14)

• Marquette surged past Northern Illinois and Rider last week, climbing to 2-0.
• Illinois had no trouble defeating Oakland and E. Illinois in their first two games.
• These two teams last met on November 15, 2021, in a game Marquette won 67-66.

The college basketball season is underway! Let’s preview the upcoming Marquette vs Illinois game. These teams face off in a ranked Midwest battle. The winner will earn an early Quadrant 1 win for their résumé.

How to Watch

• FS1

Preview

Marquette had no trouble in their first two games, taking down Northern Illinois and Rider by a combined 52 points. The Golden Eagles rose to #4 in the AP Top 25, which would have them on pace for a #1 seed. In a deep Big East conference, Marquette needs to win as many non-conference games as possible. A road trip to #23 Illinois is a solid first test. Kam Jones will aim for his third 20+ game of the season so far.

Illinois won confidently in their opener against Eastern Illinois, and then cooled off a bit on offense in their win against Oakland. They’ll look to heat back up against a high-scoring Marquette team. The Fighting Illini were tied with Oakland 48-48 with 7 minutes left in that game. They need to come out of the gate much stronger to keep up with Marquette in this matchup. They’ve shot just 27% from 3-point range this season.

Prediction

Marquette has their first ranked test of the season as a top-5 team. A few teams have already fallen from grace at the top, so they are far from safe here. That being said, I do see them matching up well with Illinois in this game. The biggest advantage the Fighting Illini have is being at home, which should help, but I would be pretty surprised if their offense is able to keep up with Marquette’s. I’ll take the Golden Eagles.

NCAAB Picks:

• Marquette 79, Illinois 74 ()