As part of Thursday’s shortened college basketball schedule, Fox Sports 1 features a doubleheader of high-major matchups. Following a Big 12 matchup between Colorado and Iowa State, the Washington Huskies (11-9) and the No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini (17-3) cap the action with a 9:00 p.m. ET tip-off
Illinois is riding a nine-game winning streak and can tie for first place in the Big Ten standings with a win tonight. Logging a 2-5 stretch over its past seven games, Washington has a 3-6 conference record and is 12th in the standings.
What should we expect for tonight’s Big Ten clash? Let’s break down our Washington vs. Illinois prediction and college basketball picks for January 29, capped by player projections on PrizePicks.
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Washington vs. Illinois Injury Report
Let’s have a look at the full Washington vs. Illinois injury report for Thursday night’s matchup, via Covers.com.
Washington Injury Report
- G Desmond Claude (undisclosed): Questionable
- C Lathan Sommerville (knee): Questionable
- F Jasir Rencher (undisclosed): Questionable
Illinois Injury Report
- G Kylan Boswell (hand): OUT
- F Jason Jakstys (undisclosed): OUT
Washington vs. Illinois Prediction for January 29, 2026
According to PrizePicks Team Picks, the Huskies are major underdogs with a 6.66x payout to win. Washington’s last win as a ‘dog was on December 6 against USC (84-76). Winning its last four games by an average margin of +11.5 points, Illinois features a 1.08x payout to win.
Washington G Desmond Claude — who ranks third on the team with 13.3 points per game (PPG) — has been absent for nearly two weeks. The Fighting Illini also have a notable injury in their backcourt, as Illinois G Kylan Boswell (14.3 PPG) is expected to return around mid-February from a fractured hand.
With both teams missing a starting guard, who could have the upper hand on Thursday night?
According to Bart Torvik, Illinois ranks sixth in team efficiency while Washington is 46th. The Illini top college basketball in adjusted offensive efficiency, and the Huskies rank 52nd in adjusted defensive efficiency.
UW may lack the tools to slow this potent offense, surrendering 73.3 PPG (62nd percentile) and 22.4 3-point shots per game (62nd percentile). Illinois sports a gaudy 50.2% 3-point shot distribution (96th percentile), averaging 11.1 made triples (98th percentile) and 30.7 shots from deep per contest (97th percentile).
If the Huskies cannot guard the 3-point line, they will likely fail to keep pace, ranking 72nd in adjusted offensive efficiency. Washington’s shot distributions leave much to be desired in the 13th percentile of close twos and the 17th percentile from 3-point land.
Team picks data is live as of publishing and is subject to change.
Washington vs. Illinois Picks for PrizePicks: Thursday, January 29
Washington G Wesley Yates and Illinois G Keaton Wagler carry healthy 3-point usage. How does that translate to value for projections on PrizePicks?
Washington G Wesley Yates vs. Illinois Projection: 10.5 Points
- Yates is working his way back from injury, posting 22.0 minutes per game over his last two games. For context, he averages 28.6 minutes per matchup this season. Following Sunday’s 28-minute showing, Yates could be ready to step up in Claude’s absence.
- The USC transfer is second on the team with 78 3-point attempts, shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc.
- Illinois is in the 98th percentile in close twos shot distribution allowed, compared to the 40th percentile for guarding triples. Plus, the Illini cede 26.0 3-point attempts per game (17th percentile).
Illinois G Keaton Wagler vs. Washington Projection: 2.5 Made 3-Pointers
- The freshman phenom comes off a mind-boggling performance, racking up 46 points against Purdue — the most ever by a visitor in Mackey Arena.
- Wagler has posted 23.4 PPG while cashing in 4.2 made triples per contest over his last five games.
- Touting a team-high 115 3-point attempts, he sports an elite 43.5% mark from beyond the arc.
- After reaching at least 3 made triples in eight of his last 12 appearances, Wagler could torch Washington’s suspect perimeter defense.
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Make Washington vs. Illinois Picks on PrizePicks
Will Washington’s defense do enough to slow one of college basketball’s best offenses? Attacking Illinois’ perimeter defense is one key for the Huskies to keep it close on Thursday.
Make your Washington vs. Illinois picks at PrizePicks, where you can earn real-money rewards for your predictions if you’re right. Just choose players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and follow the hoops action to see if your picks hit. You can make picks on winners, spreads, and over/unders on Team Picks, now available in 30 states.
Keep tabs on the Playbook for continued College Basketball predictions, picks, and news.
