Houston vs. Illinois Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Cougars opened tournament a decisive 82-68 victory over the UAB Blazers, extending their current straight up and against the spread win streak to four games. The Fighting Illini needed a last-minute comeback to eke out a 54-53 win over the pesky UT-Chattanooga Mocs in First Round action, and have now failed to cover in eight of 10 contests.
The Cougars have held steady since opening as 4.5-point favourites, and enjoy the support of 79% of sports bettors, while Illinois lags as a +158 moneyline underdog. The total remains unchanged at 133.5. However, the OVER has attracted 83% of the betting action.
Houston vs. Illinois NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Sunday afternoon’s matchup at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh marks the first meeting between these teams since December 1985, and their first ever clash at the NCAA Tournament.
Pegged at No. 15 on the AP Top 25 final rankings, the Cougars have been dominant during an impressive 10-1 run. The team has seen each of its past eight victories come by double-digit margins, and have covered nine times over that stretch. However, Houston has struggled at times as small chalk, winning and covering in just three of seven while favoured by five or fewer points. And while they are unbeaten in their past eight March Madness matchups as favourites, they have covered just twice in their past four, with the UNDER prevailing three times over that stretch.
The Fighting Illini’s struggles continued with their First Round win over the Blazers, a contest they led for a grand total of just 26 seconds. Outright winners in just five of nine, Illinois has consistently disappointed sports bettors with against the spread losses in 13 of their past 18, and in their past two as betting underdogs. That trend extends to recent appearances in the NCAA Tournament as underdogs, where the squad has gone 1-8 straight up, and covered on just four occasions.
Houston Cougars (5)
The Cougars never trailed in their Round of 64 win over the Blazers. Converting on 53.3% of field goals attempts including an impressive 10-for-21 from beyond the arc, Houston never led by fewer than seven points after quickly establishing a double-digit lead. Four Cougars starters reached double digits in scoring, led by Kyle Edwards. The senior guard tallied a team-high 25 points and seven rebounds, and has now averaged 17.2 points and 7.2 boards over his past five outings.
Illinois Fighting Illini (4)
The Fighting Illini stumbled out of the gate in Friday’s First Round date with Chattanooga, spotting the Mocs a 14-point lead over the first nine minutes, and have now trailed at halftime in three of four contests. Illinois’ two big men sparked them to victory. Senior Kofi Cockburn led all shooters with 17 points, and added 13 boards to record his third straight double-double. Sophomore Coleman Hawkins contributed 10 points while coming up big under the rim with eight rebounds.
