The Fighting Illini will play the Wildcats on Sunday, March 23rd, 2025. Your timezone's tip off time is 4:15 pm CDT. Check local listings or your nearest streaming app for coverage.
Review our College Basketball Betting guide to learn how to bet this game.
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Table of Contents
- Matchup Stats
- Moneyline Mage
- Best Odds
- Interactive Odds Example
- Prop Bets
- Team Standings
- Futures Odds
- Team Pages
- Other Games Today
Key Matchup Stats
The 2024-25 college basketball postseason has arrived. With tournament action on the docket, Illinois and Kentucky are set to tip-off on Sunday, March 23rd, 2025. Here's your chance to partake in March Madness! The end of the regular season has left us with solid trends for each team. Use the following performance insights and stats to handicap what promises to be an exciting matchup.
- SportsBetting3.com Power Rankings - Illinois wound up with a 96.67 SportsBetting3.com conference power ranking for the 2024-25 college basketball regular season, while Kentucky finished with a 96.33 power ranking.
- Away Records - Tournament games are typically played at neutral venues, which means both teams are away from their home courts. Illinois comes to this matchup with a 5-5 record as an away team, ranking them 4th in the Big Ten Conference for away team wins. Their opponent, Kentucky, finished the regular season with a 4-6 record as an away team, ranking them 6th in the SEC Conference for away team wins.
- Conference Win Percentage - Illinois finished 4th (0.600) in the Big Ten Conference, with Kentucky ending up 6th (0.556) for their conference win percentage in the 2024 SEC Conference.
- Overall Win Percentage - Illinois had a 0.647 regular season overall win percentage, with Kentucky notching a 0.676 overall win percentage at the end of the 2024-25 regular season.
- Team Records - Illinois tallied a 22-12 regular season overall record. Meanwhile, Kentucky put together a 23-11 standing for 2024-25 college basketball regular season.
Moneyline Mage
Spelling out the winners with humor since the middle ages.
Hear ye, hear ye! Illinois and Kentucky clash in March Madness mayhem!
Illinois 22-12, Kentucky 23-11. Illinois 12-8 Big Ten, Kentucky 10-8 SEC.
The tables below have the best point spread lines, total lines, and moneylines for this matchup. Bet on March Madness games at BetRivers and BetMGM. Review this matchup's prop bets below.
Best Fighting Illini at Wildcats Odds
| Underdog Kentucky | Favorite Illinois |
|---|---|
| Over | Under |
|---|---|
| Underdog Kentucky | Favorite Illinois |
|---|---|
Matchup Odds FAQs
Illinois is a -2 -113 point spread favorite at BetRivers, while Kentucky is a +2.5 -110 point spread underdog at BetMGM.
The best over line is 166.5 -115 points at BetMGM, which means you risk $115 to win $100 betting the over. The best under line is 167 -110 points at BetRivers, and that means you risk $110 to win $100 betting the under.
Illinois is a -137 moneyline favorite at BetRivers and Kentucky is a +118 moneyline underdog at BetMGM.
College Basketball Odds Example
|
Game |
 BetMGMBet |
|---|---|
Illinois
Kentucky
3/23/25 4:15pm CDT | -2.5 -110+2.5 -110 |
Underdog Kentucky - Kentucky bettors risk $100 to win $90.91 at -110 odds.
A +2.5 Kentucky underdog bet wins if they lose by 2 or fewer, tie, or win outright. Your bet loses if they lose by 3 or more.
Favorite Illinois - Illinois bettors risk $100 to win $90.91 at -110 odds.
A -2.5 Illinois favorite bet wins if they win by 3 or more. Your bet loses if they win by 2 or fewer, tie, or lose outright.
Illinois at Kentucky Prop Bets
Important Note: Some states expressly forbid individual college athlete prop bets. The following wagers may not be available depending on your particular state laws.
| BetMGM Bet |
|
|---|---|
Illinois
Kentucky
First to 5 Points
3/23/25 4:15pm CDT | -125-110Bet |
Illinois
Kentucky
First to 10 Points
3/23/25 4:15pm CDT | -135-105Bet |
Illinois
Kentucky
First to 15 Points
3/23/25 4:15pm CDT | -135-105Bet |
Illinois
Kentucky
Game to Overtime
3/23/25 4:15pm CDT | Yes +750No -2500Bet |
Team Standings
| Team | W-L | Win% | Home | Away | Conf | CGB | Conf% | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Ten | ||||||||
| Illinois | 22-13 | 0.629 | 13-4 | 5-5 | 12-8 | +5 | 0.600 | L1 |
| SEC | ||||||||
| #12 Kentucky | 24-12 | 0.667 | 15-3 | 4-6 | 10-8 | +5 | 0.556 | L1 |
Illinois & Kentucky Futures Odds
Latest College Basketball Championship odds, if available, for each team. Review March Madness odds for other teams and learn how to bet on the college basketball tournament. Also be sure to read Ron Halfback's Final Four write-up.
Illinois Championship OddsNo NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament TM Illinois YR: futures available
Kentucky Championship OddsNo NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament TM Kentucky YR: futures available
Illinois & Kentucky Team Pages
Review each team's futures odds, betting bonuses, current standings and other valuable information on our exclusive team betting odds pages. Team betting odds and stats update throughout the season:
How to Bet on the Game
Time needed: 4 minutes.
How to Bet on the Illinois vs Kentucky College Basketball Game
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Open a new sports betting account before game time.
Review our list of sports betting sites. Open a new account before the game starts on Sunday, March 23rd, 2025 at 4:15 pm CDT, making sure to enter all your personal details correctly. Don't forget to add your bonus code.
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Visit the sportsbook’s cashier, banking, or deposit page.
Navigate to the sportsbook's deposit page. Use your Visa card or MasterCard, or deposit with a bank transfer, or other methods like Paypal.
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Tap to the sportsbook's College Basketball page, look for the Illinois vs Kentucky Game.
Navigate to the sportsbook's College Basketball page. Next, look for live or upcoming matchups. Select the Illinois vs Kentucky Game.
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Choose your bet and place a wager.
Choose your bet and then use the funds you deposited to place a wager. The sportsbook will pay your winnings or deduct a losing wager from your account balance after the game.
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