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Illinois heads to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday night for a Big Ten road test against Penn State, with tip set for 7:00 PM ET on BTN. The Illini are 10-3 and playing like a top-25 team, and they’ve traveled well at 3-1 away from home. Penn State is 9-4 with an 8-2 home record, which is why this spread pops. Illinois is laying 16.5 with a total of 157.5, basically a bet on whether the Illini’s pace and depth can create separation, or if Penn State’s home efficiency keeps this within striking distance for 40 minutes. These are the current betting lines, and bettors should monitor updated lines on the college basketball odds page leading into tip. Illinois

Nevada heads to Fresno for a Mountain West matchup on Saturday night at the Save Mart Center, with tip set for 7:00 PM ET. The Wolf Pack are 10-3 on the season and have been solid but not dominant away from home at 2-2, which matters when you’re asked to lay multiple possessions in a league game. Fresno State is 6-7 and has been more competitive in this building, sitting at 5-4 at home. The market is pricing Nevada as the better team, but the number also implies Fresno has enough paths to keep this tight if they can score efficiently inside and avoid getting buried at the foul line. The broadcast is on MWN. These are the current betting

Northern Arizona heads to Bozeman for a Big Sky spot on Saturday night, with tip set for 8:00 PM ET at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. This is a tough travel spot for a Lumberjacks team that has been a different animal at home than on the road, and now they run into a Montana State group that has defended its home floor well. The market is telling you Montana State has the more stable profile and should control this game, laying 9.5 with a low moneyline price. Northern Arizona’s shooting gives them a backdoor path, but the bigger question is whether they can generate enough clean looks away from home to keep pace for 40 minutes. The game will be available

Kansas City heads to Baxter Arena for a Summit League game against Omaha on Saturday night (8:00 PM ET). The market is pricing this like a mismatch with Omaha laying 9.5, and it’s not hard to see why. Kansas City is 0-9 on the road and 3-12 overall, while Omaha has been at least functional at home with a 5-3 record. Still, this number is big for a conference game, and Omaha isn’t the type of team I love to lay points with unless I’m confident they can defend for long stretches. Kansas City’s best chance to hang around is to slow the game down, get to the line, and make Omaha beat them in the half court. These are