Missouri Tigers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Picks and Prediction for Monday, December 22, 2025
It’s a non-conference contest on the hardwood as the Missouri Tigers battle the #18 Illinois Fighting Illini Monday night in the Bragging Rights clash in the Gateway City and we have you covered with our Missouri vs. Illinois prediction. Missouri routed Bethune-Cookman 82-60 at home in their previous contest last Sunday, covering the line as a 21-point favorite. Illinois fell 83-80 to #23 Nebraska at home in their previous game last Saturday, losing outright as a nine-point favorite. In the all-time series between the programs, the Fighting Illini owns a 35-20 advantage and have won the last two meetings, including an 80-77 win in the most recent matchup in St. Louis on December 22, 2024. Read more about this Missouri vs. Illinois prediction! Get our top NCAAB Betting Picks and increase your bankroll!
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Missouri Seeking Third Straight Win
Missouri dropped the hammer on Bethune-Cookman at home in their previous contest and look to extend their win streak here. The Tigers improved to 10-2 overall and try to pick up a marquee non-conference victory. Against Bethune-Cookman, Missouri jumped in front 7-2 early and led the rest of the way to earn the victory. The Tigers were up 39-25 at the half and were up as many as 29 in the second half en route to the victory. Missouri shot 57.6% from the field, including seven of 19 from three-point range, and controlled the glass by a 34-20 margin. Jacob Crews led the Tigers with 20 points and five rebounds in the win.
The Tigers are 44th in the nation in scoring offense with 86.8 points per game on the year. Missouri is 109th in rebounding by collecting 38.3 boards a night while the team dishes out 15.8 assists (112th) per contest. The Tigers are 101st in the nation in scoring defense by allowing 69.8 points per game. Jacob Crews is one of four players averaging in double figures for the Tigers with an average of 14.8 points per game on the year. Mark Mitchell (18.2 points, 6.1 boards, three assists), Jayden Stone (13.3 points) and Anthony Robinson II (10.8 points, 3.7 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Sebastian Mack, Shawn Phillips Jr., Jevon Porter, Annor Boateng, T.O. Barrett, Luke Northweather and Nicholas Randall are all important pieces for Missouri. The Tigers are shooting 53.7% from the field as a team this season, which is 1st in the nation. Missouri knocks down an average of eight triples a night while shooting 37.4% from beyond the arc, putting them 47th in the country. The Tigers are below average at the charity stripe, cashing in 68% of their attempts this season, which is 288th in Division I.
Key Injury Report for Missouri:
- Guard Jayden Stone (hand) is out.
Fighting Illini Looking to Bounce Back
Illinois had won four of five before getting tripped up by #23 Nebraska at home in their previous contest last Saturday. The Fighting Illini dropped to 8-3 overall on the year and stand 1-1 on the year in Big Ten play. Against Nebraska, Illinois trailed 11-4 early and by 30-16 with 6:31 to play in the first half before rallying to tie the game at 37 at the half. The Fighting Illini never led by more than two and, with the game tied late, gave up the game-winning three-pointer with under a second remaining in regulation. Illinois shot 48.3% from the floor, including 10 of 29 from three-point range, and allowed Nebraska to shoot 51.6% from the floor. Kylan Boswell led the Fighting Illini with 20 points in the loss.
The Fighting Illini puts up an average of 87.8 points per game on the season, which puts them 34th in the nation in scoring offense. Illinois collects 41.6 rebounds per contest (31st in the nation) while handing out 14.4 assists per game. The Fighting Illini is above average defensively, ranking 139th in the nation by allowing 71.5 points per game. Kylan Boswell leads the team with an average of 16.1 points plus 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest this season. Andrej Stojakovic (15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds), Keaton Wagler (15.1 points, 4.8 rebounds) and David Mirkovic (13.6 points, 8.8 rebounds) provide solid secondary scoring options. Tomislav Ivisic (10 points, 4.8 rebounds), Zvonimir Ivisic, Ben Humichrous, Mihailo Petrovic and Jake Davis are other contributors for coach Brad Underwood. Illinois shoots 47.8% from the floor as a team. The Fighting Illini connects on 9.8 three-pointers a game (61st) while shooting 34% from long range. Illinois is above average at the free throw line this season as they convert 78.2% of their opportunities, putting them 16th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Illinois:
- No Key Injuries
Missouri vs. Illinois Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ricky Tran | +4,680.00 |
| 2 |  David Delano | +4,650.00 |
| 3 |  Nick Parsons | +4,361.00 |
| 4 |  Mark Ruelle | +4,278.00 |
| 5 |  Terry Edelmann | +2,224.00 |
Missouri vs. Illinois Spread Pick
- Illinois -8.5 (4 units)
Missouri has the prettier record heading into this contest but the ledger makes one pause before anointing them the better team. The Tigers have seven wins over teams ranked 260th or worse in the KenPom rankings compared to a solitary win over teams ranked in the top 100. Their best win was an 83-60 win at home over a Minnesota team ranked 99th in the KenPom rankings. Illinois has three losses but they came to teams currently ranked seventh (UConn), 17th (Alabama) and 21st (Nebraska) in the KenPom rankings. The Fighting Illini does own three wins over teams ranked in the top 40 of the KenPom rankings. Illinois is a good offensive team and they salt the game away at the line to earn the win.
Missouri vs. Illinois Over/Under Pick
- Over 155.5 (4 units)
Missouri has gone over the total in six of their 12 games this season. The Tigers are 30th in offensive efficiency, 7th in effective field goal percentage (60.5%), 269th in turnover percentage (18.9%) and 7th in two-point shooting (63.1%) on the year. Missouri is a team that likes a faster pace as they are 183rd in adjusted tempo according to KenPom with 68.9 possessions a night. Illinois is 33rd in defensive efficiency, 74th in effective field goal percentage defense (48%), 34th in allowed offensive rebound percentage (26.3%) and 90th in field goal percentage defense (41.4%) this season. The Fighting Illini are 199th in tempo with 68.6 possessions per game this season. Illinois has stayed under the number in seven of their 11 games entering this contest on the year. Look for this game to wind up over the number.
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