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The sixth-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini battle the third-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in a Midwest Region second-round matchup on Sunday. Illinois opened tournament play with an 86-73 win over Xavier, while Kentucky bounced Troy 76-57. The Fighting Illini (22-12), who have compiled a 46-35 tournament record in 35 appearances, advanced to the Elite Eight last year. The Wildcats (23-11), who are 133-56 in 63 NCAA Tournament appearances, have reached the Elite Eight 34 times, the most all-time.

Tip-off from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee is set for 5:15 p.m. ET. Illinois is a 1.5-point favorite in the latest Illinois vs. Kentucky odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 167.5, down two from the opening line. The Fighting Illini are -136 money-line favorites. Before making any Kentucky vs. Illinois picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament on a 228-166 roll (+2025) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. This model has also produced brackets that have beaten over 91% of CBS Sports entries in four of the last six tournaments and nailed 24 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Illinois vs. Kentucky and just locked in its March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for Kentucky vs. Illinois:

  • Illinois vs. Kentucky spread: Illinois -1.5
  • Illinois vs. Kentucky over/under: 167.5 points  
  • Illinois vs. Kentucky money line: Illinois -136, Kentucky +114
  • ILL: The Fighting Illini have hit the game total over in 20 of their last 37 games (+2.40 units)  
  • KY: The Wildcats have hit the money line in 22 of their last 33 games (+11.90 units)  
  • Illinois vs. Kentucky picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Illinois can cover

Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis is coming off a pair of dominant performances. In Friday's first-round win over Xavier, he posted a near triple-double with 16 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. He had a double-double in an 88-65 loss to Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, scoring 15 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out four assists. In 32 games this season, all starts, Jakucionis is averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 31.7 minutes.

Freshman forward Will Riley poured in 22 points, while adding four rebounds and two blocks in the win over Xavier on Friday. He has reached 20 or more points in three of the past four games. In an 88-80 win over Purdue on March 7, he scored 22 points, while adding four assists and two rebounds. In 34 games, including eight starts, he is averaging 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 25.6 minutes. See which team to pick here.

Why Kentucky can cover 

Junior guard Otega Oweh continues to lead the Wildcats on offense. In 34 games, all starts, the Oklahoma transfer is averaging 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 28.2 minutes. He nearly registered a double-double in the win over Troy, scoring 20 points, while adding eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. 

While senior guard Lamont Butler continues to be limited with a shoulder injury, senior guard Koby Brea looks to pick up some of the scoring slack. In Friday's win over Troy, he scored 13 points, while adding four assists and two rebounds. He had 22 points and four rebounds in the win over Oklahoma in the SEC Tournament. In 34 games, including 14 starts, the transfer from Dayton is averaging 11.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 27.7 minutes. See which team to pick here.

How to make Illinois vs. Kentucky picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 163 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that hits in 60% of simulations. You can only get the model's picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Kentucky vs. Illinois, and which side of the spread hits in 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $2,000 on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.