UTRGV vs Illinois

Illinois brings a 5-1 start and four wins in its last five into this home matchup, and with Kylan Boswell, Andrej Stojakovic and David Mirkovic powering an offense that has been routinely hanging big numbers while controlling the glass, the Illini profile as overwhelming favorites against a UT Rio Grande Valley side that’s just 2-3 and has struggled to finish games on the road. Even with early-season injury issues and minutes management for pieces like Ty Rodgers and Tomislav/Zvonimir Ivisic, Illinois’ length, depth and prior dominance of this series make an outright upset by a healthy Vaqueros roster headlined by guards like Marvin McGhee III and Zae Blake extremely remote, so the pick is Illinois on the moneyline—but the massive -15000 price tag drags this down to a B- play given the tiny return relative to the risk. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 24/11/2025 11:08am

UT Rio Grande Valley’s pace-and-space attack, led by perimeter threats like McGhee, Blake and Koree Cotton, has pushed its early-season scoring into the low 80s, but Illinois’ combination of rim protection from the Ivisic brothers and efficient, structured offense around Boswell and Mirkovic tends to produce big leads that slow the tempo late as Brad Underwood leans on his bench. With the Illini entering on a 4-1 run, the Vaqueros showing uneven offensive consistency away from home, and prior meetings skewing toward Illinois blowouts more than true track meets, there’s a decent cushion between a likely high-scoring outcome and a lofty 167 total, so the lean is to the Under 167 at -110 for a solid but not slam-dunk B grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 24/11/2025 11:08am

Illinois’ high-powered offense and 5-1 form suggest another comfortable win, but with UT Rio Grande Valley finally healthy, no major injuries on the Vaqueros’ side, and scoring balance from guards like McGhee, Blake and Always Wright, grabbing a massive +34 feels more attractive than laying it with an Illini team that has dealt with early injury churn and may rotate heavily if they get up big. UTRGV has historically been outclassed straight up by Illinois, yet trends show they’ve been feisty against power-conference spreads in November, and with both teams still far from any postseason-pressure point in the schedule, there’s incentive for the Illini to manage minutes rather than chase a style-points margin, making UT Rio Grande Valley +34 (-110) a B-grade play to sneak in under the number. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 24/11/2025 11:08am