Illinois vs. Michigan State line, picks: Advanced computer college basketball model releases selections for Saturday matchup

The No. 12 Illinois Fighting Illini visit East Lansing to take on the No. 19 Michigan State Spartans at noon ET on Saturday. Caesars Sportsbook lists Illinois at -1.5, while the Over-Under is set at 138.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Illinois vs. Michigan State picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows the Illini are led by a potential All-American in Kofi Cockburn. The talented center is averaging 21.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, and he is shooting an impressive 60.5 percent from the field. Illinois is very strong on both ends of the floor, including the Big Ten's best mark in defensive efficiency and shooting efficiency allowed. The Illini are shooting 36.2 percent from 3-point range, while allowing opponents to shoot only 31.3 percent, and Illinois is excellent on the glass. Illinois has a top-30 offensive rebound rate in the country, with opponents securing fewer than 26 percent of their own misses on the other end.

The model also knows the Spartans are very good on defense. Michigan State is leading the Big Ten in 3-point defense, with opponents shooting only 30.4 percent from beyond the arc in conference play. The Spartans are also giving up only 46.3 percent shooting on 2-point attempts for the season, and Michigan State has a 14.9 percent block rate that ranks in the top 15 nationally. Michigan State is above-average in preventing free-throw attempts, and the Spartans help to win the possession battle by grabbing 73.2 percent of available rebounds on the defensive glass.

Now, it has set its sights on Illinois vs. Michigan State. We can tell you the model is leaning over the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Illinois vs. Michigan State? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Illinois vs. Michigan State spread you should be all over Saturday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!