The Penn State Nittany Lions (19-12) and the Illinois Fighting Illini (20-11) square off in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Fighting Illini as the 2.5-point favorites, while the over/under is set at 140 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Penn State vs. Illinois 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. The model enters conference tournament week 76-51 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen HUGE returns. 

The model knows Penn State guard Jalen Pickett is an exceptional playmaker and facilitator. Pickett has great court vision and is able to thread the needle. The New York native is fourth in the nation in assists (7) with 18 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. In his last game against Maryland, Pickett finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

The model also knows Illinois senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is a high-flying scoring threat. Shannon Jr. can handle the rock and glide to the rim with ease. The Illinois native logs 17.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. On Mar. 2 against Michigan, Shannon Jr. logged 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. 

Now, the model has set its sights on Penn State vs. Illinois. It is leaning Over on the total and it also says one side of the spread hits 60% of the time! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

So who wins Penn State vs. Illinois? And which side of the spread hits 60% of the time? Join SportsLine now to find out, all from the model that has crushed its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread!