Duquesne (11) vs. Illinois (3) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
This East Region head-to-head features Illinois as a 9.5-point favourite to win on the college basketball odds, with the total set at 147.5.
Duquesne vs. Illinois NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this game will face either No. 2 Iowa State or No. 7 Washington State in the Sweet 16. Duquesne hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 1969 when the tournament used a 25-team bracket. Illinois has made 11 appearances in the Sweet 16, but they haven’t reached the third round since doing it in back-to-back years in 2004 and 2005.
The Dukes are 25-11 straight up this season, with a sterling 7-1 record in neutral site games. They’re an average cover option at 19-16 against the spread, but they have covered in five straight games. Duquesne has played the Under eight times on their current nine-game win streak.
The Fighting Illini are 27-8 SU for the year, including a perfect 6-0 in neutral site games. They’ve also been a surprisingly good cover option, going 21-13-1 ATS overall, including 4-1 ATS on their current five-game win streak. Illinois has hit the Over 25 times this season, including 13 of their last 15 games.
Duquesne Dukes (11)
Duquesne pulled off one of the first upsets of the tournament with a 71-61 victory over No. 6 BYU on Thursday. Dae Dae Grant, Jakub Necas and Jimmy Clark III each reached double digit points. Grant dropped 19 points while Necas had 12 and Clark had 11. It was a bit of a surprise performance from Necas, who is averaging just 2.5 ppg this season. The team relies heavily on Grant and Clark to provide the offence. Grant averages a team-high 16.7 ppg, while Clark averages 15.0 ppg and leads the team in assists (3.8 per game) and steals (2.4).
Look for Grant to have an even bigger impact in the second round. He’s averaging 20.0 ppg over his last seven and he’s connected from beyond the arc at least three times in five of those games. You also can’t overlook a Dukes defence that is allowing an average of just 60.0 ppg on their current nine-game win streak. A lot still needs to go right for Duquesne, but an upset win wouldn’t be all that shocking.
Illinois Fighting Illini (3)
Illinois dismantled No. 14 Morehead State 85-69 in the first round. Terrence Shannon Jr. led the team with 26 points, while Dain Dainja added 21 points and eight rebounds. Marcus Domask finished with a triple-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. It wasn’t a surprise performance from Shannon, who is the third-highest scorer in the nation with 23.1 ppg, but Dainja really stepped up as he averages just 6.2 ppg.
You can likely expect more points from Domask in the second round as he is Illinois’ second-leading scorer with 15.9 ppg, but it’s Shannon who will carry this team. Shannon is an elite perimeter shooter, he’s as aggressive as anyone in this tournament and he is averaging 18 attempts per game over his last five. Illinois might get a scare against Duquesne and fail to cover, but I still see the Fighting Illini winning outright.
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