TOM STRYKER’S FREE BASKETBALL SELECTION SATURDAY, JANUARY 27TH
#670 ILLINOIS (-14) over Indiana at 3 PM EST
Off the 96-91 road loss in overtime at Northwestern and with a serious challenge at Ohio State up next, Illinois will return to the friendly confines of the State Farm Center and annihilate Indiana. The Hoosiers limp into this contest off a pair of ugly performances against the Badgers and Boilermakers (dropped both battles by 12 and 21 points, respectively) and this will be another tough trip for head coach Mike Woodson and his crew.
If the loss to the Wildcats won’t have the Fighting Illini juiced up for this Big 10 battle, then triple revenge motivation will be more than enough to do the trick. Surprisingly, Illinois has dropped three straight to Indiana by a grand total of 10 points combined and head coach Brad Underwood and his boys want this victory badly. As a conference home favorite holding a team won/loss percentage of .730 or higher, the Illini have been a solid investment posting a proud 63-12 SU and 46-27-2 ATS record. In this situation facing a foe that owns four or more days of rest, Coach Underwood and his crew improve to a healthy 35-4 SU and 27-11-1 ATS. Lastly, at home arriving without steam off a straight up loss, Illinois has won 14 straight (8-6 ATS) by an average of 16.9 points per game.
Off the losses to the Boilermakers and Badgers and a little rusty off eight days off, the Hoosiers will have issues in this Big 10 battle. Surprisingly, as a road dog, Indiana has been a poor investment posting a rough 42-164 SU and 84-119-3 ATS record including an ugly 17-68 SU and 29-55-1 ATS in this situation provided the Big Red are fighting a foe that arrives off a straight up loss. With those two parameters live and IU battling a foe that holds a team won/loss percentage of .501 or better, this angle falls to a horrible 10-63 SU and 21-51-1 ATS including a filthy 5-27 SU and 7-25 ATS provided they are rolling with four or more days of rest.
Ranked 10th in the latest AP poll, the Fighting Illini will make the most of their lone shot against the Hoosiers this season. Take Illinois. Thanks and best of luck, Tom.
TOM’S 25-6 ATS 4* CBB CONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR
Since December 6th, 2023, Stryker has inked a profitable 39-23-2 ATS mark in college basketball (lost with the Spartans yesterday) and he returns with one top-rated 4* hardwood honey that will bring home the cash. This power play is backed by a couple of solid angles that hold lucrative marks of 27-7 ATS and 25-6 ATS. Grab Tom’s 4* CBB Conference Game of the Year for $30.