Missouri vs. #18 Illinois Picks and Predictions: Neutral Site Matchup in St. Louis

Nate Hornung

Written by: Nate Hornung

Published: Mon Dec 22, 2025, 1:57 pm ET

Read Time: 5 minutes

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Two teams from neighboring states meet in their shared city on Monday night for a neutral site contest. The unranked Missouri Tigers head to St. Louis to face the No. 18 Illinois Fighting Illini at the Enterprise Center. Despite not being ranked, the Tigers have less losses on their schedule this year, posting a 10-2 record compared to the Illini who are 8-3. But can we forgive those teams for their losses? Let's find out and get into our expert picks for tonight's game as well.

Go check out what else I've got on my daily card, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.

Missouri Tigers vs. #18 Illinois Fighting Illini NCAA Basketball Insights

Mark Mitchell does it all for the Missouri Tigers this season - Missouri Illinois Picks

Mark Mitchell does it all for the Missouri Tigers this season

Missouri is a top 45 team according to Bart Torvik, but let's look at their schedule in depth. This team lost to Kansas on a neutral site in Kansas City and in South Bend to Notre Dame. Those are the two toughest games they have played, with their only top 100 win coming over Minnesota in the comfort of their own arena. Other than that, they have only faced teams ranked north of 200, with most ranking north of 260. Missouri has played the 17th easiest schedule so far this season.

Illinois has been battle tested. They've played the 16th toughest schedule this year, and are much more talented than Mizzou. The Illini lost to the Crimson Tide by four and to UConn by 13, both on neutral sites and both forgivable losses in my eyes. However, they are coming off a three point loss to Nebraska at home. This is the perfect spot for the Illini to pick themselves back up.

They have wins over Texas Tech, Tennessee and Ohio State in Columbus, so I think they are capable of handling Mizzou.

Matchup Information – Missouri vs. Illinois – December 22

  • Venue & Location: Enterprise Center (St. Louis, MO)
  • Date: Monday, December 22, 2025
  • Kick Off: 8:00 p.m. Eastern
  • Broadcast: FS1

Missouri vs. Illinois Betting Odds

Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of December 22, 2025 at 1:36 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.

Spread

  • Illinois -10 (-106)
  • Missouri +10 (-114)

Moneyline

  • Illinois -550
  • Missouri +395

Total

  • Over 154 (-111)
  • Under 154 (-109)

Both these teams love to run, and I think that translates into plenty of points for both sides, but especially the Illini. They love to get up and down the floor, Missouri runs too, but the Tigers do not have the defense to slow down this talented Illinois team. So many different guys can lead this team to victory by scoring the basketball, as five different guys have led them in scoring in a game this year.

Missouri vs. #18 Illinois NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions

Stojakovic is just one scoring option for the Illini this season - Missouri Illinois Picks

Stojakovic is just one scoring option for the Illini this season

Missouri vs. Illinois Prediction: Illinois Wins and Covers, Over 154

Best Bet: Missouri/Illinois Over 154 (-111) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

Give me the over, and probably the Illini to cover. Both teams will get up and down the floor, and both team's offense is much better than their defense. The Illini are still very sound defensively, but Mizzou will be able to at least contribute a little but to this total.

The Tigers are top 10 in eFG%, shooting 63.1% from inside the arc, where over 65% of their offense comes from. They won't keep up by shooting threes, even though they do so well, but they will attack the hoop, make their layups and get to the free throw line. The Illini will be able to do the same thing. Missouri is No. 164 in eFG% defense and No. 207 in FT Rate defense against top 100 teams this season.

Illinois takes care of the ball, aren't afraid to let it fly from deep, and get plenty of second chance points. They'll have no problem finding the hoop tonight, as I see them scoring at least 90 to help us get over this number.

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Nate Hornung
Nate Hornung

Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.

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