We know the predominant color of the night when the Syracuse Orange (3-3) travel to Champaign to play the Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1) and their famous “Orange Krush” student section. Syracuse has a very young team, and we will see how they perform in their first true road game of the season and also in the first time they’ve been underdogs all year with Illinois a -12.5 point favorite at the offshore sportsbooks.
Before Betting on Syracuse vs Illinois
A 3-3 start to the year is almost unheard of for Orange coach Jim Boeheim, but it’s not unexpected as he tries to adjust to life without his son – and last year’s leading scorer – Buddy Boeheim who had 19.3 ppg last season. Boeheim’s other son Jimmy also chipped in 13.3 ppg in 2021/22 as he completed his graduate transfer season.
It’s now a youth movement in upstate New York as Syracuse is going to rely heavily on freshman like Judah Mintz (16.2 ppg), Justin Taylor (25 points on Saturday), and Chris Bell (14 points Saturday). The Orange do have some ‘old-timers’ too, as Jesse Edwards grabbed 21 points on Saturday and Joe Girard is second on the team with 15.7 ppg.
One thing that Illinois has to like is that despite Syracuse getting 39 points from their freshman Taylor and Bell on Saturday and Edwards grabbing 21 rebounds is that the Orange still lost – at home to Bryant as -9.5 favorites. Illinois meanwhile was in Las Vegas handing then #8 UCLA their first loss of the season 79-70 before falling 70-61 to Virginia, a loss that doesn’t look as bad with UVA up to #3 in the country.
Orange vs Fighting Illini NCAAB Offshore Betting Odds
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | Syracuse (7.4) | Illinois (1.1) | 144.5 | Syracuse +12.5 (1.9) | Illinois -12.5 (1.9) |
| Bovada | Syracuse (6.0) | Illinois (1.31) | 144 | Syracuse +12 (1.9) | Illinois -12 (1.9) |
| BetUS | Syracuse (6.65) | Illinois (1.12) | 144.5 | Syracuse +12.5 (1.91) | Illinois -12.5 (1.91) |
| SportsBetting.ag | Syracuse (7.4) | Illinois (1.1) | 144.5 | Syracuse +12.5 (1.9) | Illinois -12.5 (1.9) |
| Pinnacle | Syracuse (6.26) | Illinois (1.13) | 144.5 | Syracuse +12.5 (1.95) | Illinois -12.5 (1.90) |
| MyBookie | Syracuse (6.47) | Illinois (1.12) | 144.5 | Syracuse +12.5 (1.9) | Illinois -12.5 (1.9) |
Syracuse vs Illinois Prediction & Pick
Illinois will likely win this one, but the -12.5 is where things get a bit dicey. Syracuse has their patented zone defense, which can be tricky for Illini PG Skyy Clark to navigate just six games into his collegiate career. Just way too many points to be giving up.
