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Iowa vs. Illinois: Big Ten Tournament Predictions (Thursday)

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The first round of the Big Ten Tournament is over. Second-round action is set to start today at noon ET. The first game of the day features a matchup between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Oregon Ducks.

Will the Ducks complete the season sweep? The other three games pit the Northwestern Wildcats against the Wisconsin Badgers, the Iowa Hawkeyes against the Illinois Fighting Illini and the USC Trojans against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Here are the best Big 10 Tournament picks for Thursday, March 13th’s game Iowa vs. Illinois.

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    Thursday's Best Big Tem Tournament Predictions: Iowa vs. Illinois

    (Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

    Iowa vs. Illinois

    Yesterday, the Hawkeyes defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 77-70, likely ending the Buckeyes' season and keeping the Hawkeyes' faint tournament hopes alive. They likely need to win the Big Ten Tournament to make it to the Big Dance, which means they'll need to take care of business against a team that beat them by 20 earlier this season.

    The Fighting Illini enter this tournament as winners of three consecutive games. Two of those victories were over ranked opponents, while the third win during that stretch was an 81-61 win over the Hawkeyes. They've scored at least 80 points in five of their last eight contests.

    Though these two teams only combined for 142 points in their first meeting, I'm backing the incredibly high over in this game. Both of these teams rank in the top 15 in the nation in scoring, as they're both averaging over 82 points per game. With the Hawkeyes allowing an average of 78.9 per contest, I think there is a very good chance Illinois will score more than 90 points tonight.

    Pick: Over 166.5 Points (-110)

    Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.

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