Free College Basketball Picks Today: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Alabama A&M Bulldogs 12/17/22

The No. 18 Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3, 0-2 Big 10) host the Alabama A&M Bulldogs (3-6) Saturday at State Farm Center.Alabama A&M was defeated by the South Alabama Jaguars 78-71 at Elmore Gymnasium on Monday. Omari Peek had a standout performance in the losing effort with 23 points.

Illinois came up short on Saturday at State Farm Center, falling to the Penn State Nittany Lions 74-59. Matthew Mayer had 14 points to lead the team in scoring in the loss. With 11 points and seven rebounds, Skyy Clark also produced a strong performance. The Fighting Illini fell to 14th in the Big Ten Conference.

The Bulldogs have been led this season by Garrett Hicks, who is averaging 16.9 points per game. Meanwhile, Olisa Blaise Akonobi is grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game, and Messiah Thompson is dishing 3.1 assists. Terrence Shannon Jr.’s 17.8 points per game have powered the Fighting Illini on offense.

Coleman Hawkins is averaging 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Illinois has gone 7-3 over the last 10, scoring 79.1 points per game on average while holding opponents to 63.6 (+15.5 margin).

FIGHTING ILLINI HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
RJ Melendez: 16.8 | 12.8 | +4.0
Dain Dainja: 11.2 | 16.5 | -5.3
Points per game:
RJ Melendez: 11.8 | 8.8 | +3.0
Dain Dainja: 6.8 | 10.4 | -3.6
Rebounds per game:
Dain Dainja: 3.8 | 5.7 | -1.9
Assists per game:
Terrence Shannon Jr.: 1.6 | 2.8 | -1.2

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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.