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Both the Duke Blue Devils and Illinois Fighting Illini could be missing key players when they tangle in the Sentinel One Classic on Saturday inside Madison Square Garden. A non-conference game this late in the season is more of a rarity these days with mega-conferences and expanded league schedules. Duke, ranked No. 3 in the most recent national poll, wouldn’t pass up a chance to play at the Mecca of Basketball since they’ve won nearly 70 percent of their games inside MSG. Duke’s Maliq Brown sustained a shoulder injury in the win over Virginia on Monday night, their third straight by 18 points or more. Illinois will be without Morez Johnson after he broke a wrist in a loss to Michigan State on Saturday.
College Basketball Same Game Parlay
Duke Blue Devils vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Date and Time: Saturday, February 22, 2025, 8 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Duke vs. Illinois Odds: Caesars sportsbook
Duke vs. Illinois TV Coverage: FOX
A college basketball betting favorite in all but one game this season, the Blue Devils have dominated opponents improving to 23-3 overall with an 80-62 win at Virginia on Monday night. That was also the closest game in Duke’s current three-game winning streak. Apparently an upset 77-71 loss to Clemson on Feb. 8 just pissed them off. Duke’s other two losses were by a combined eight points to Kentucky and Kansas back in November. In the only game this season where Duke was catching points at Caesars sportsbook they walloped Arizona 69-55 on the road.
With future NBA first round draft pick Cooper Flagg leading the way the Blue Devils have outscored opponents by an average of more than 20 points. Flagg has been as advertised in his rookie campaign. He should actually be playing his senior year in high school if not for reclassifying. That makes his impact even more astounding. Flagg is the ACC’s second-leading scorer at 19.7 and also leads the team in rebounds (7.7) and assists (4.0) while shooting nearly 49 percent from the field.
The loss of Brown will impact Duke’s depth, which was an issue against Clemson when Mason Gillis was shelved by an illness. A key reserve Brown averages nearly 18 minutes and 4.1 rebounds while contributing 2.5 points per game. His absence will be felt on the defensive end with Duke one of the best in the country. The Blue Devils rank among the top 10 nationally in fewest points allowed and opponents field goal percentage.
The way things have gone over the last week administrators at Illinois might be second-guessing their decision to play this game. It started last Saturday with a home loss to now No. 12 Michigan State. Johnson, the team’s second leading rebounder, was also lost with a broken wrist. In a matchup with No. 11 Wisconsin on Tuesday one of the better rebounding teams in the Big Ten was outrebounded 39-30 by the Badgers in a 95-74 setback.
You would expect players to pick up the slack from a fallen teammate, but that didn’t happen against the Badgers. Leading scorer Kasparas Jakucionis took just three shots and scored six points while committing seven of the team’s 14 turnovers. Leading rebounder and second leading scorer Tomislav Ivisic had seven points and three rebounds. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say if the Illini play like that on Saturday the game won’t be close.
The good news for Illinois is that every game is different and they have a chance to get a huge win to pad their NCAA Tournament resume. The Illini haven’t really done that this season with three wins in eight games against ranked foes. And they’re running cold right now going just 3-7 against the college basketball betting line in their last 10 outings.
Duke vs. Illinois Same Game Parlay Pick
Duke ATS
Duke / Illinois OVER
Bet on college basketball at Caesars sportsbook
