Illinois (3) vs. Iowa State (2) Sweet 16 Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
Oddsmakers are banking on this East Region matchup being a tight game, with Iowa State opening as slim 1.5-point favourites to win on the college basketball odds, while the total is set at 145.5.
Illinois vs. Iowa State NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this game is headed to the Elite Eight where they will face either No. 1 UConn, last year’s national champions, or No. 5 San Diego State, last year’s tournament runners-up. The Fighting Illini have reached the Elite Eight five times in school history, but their last trip to the fourth round of the Big Dance was in 2005. The Cyclones’ only other appearances in the Elite Eight were in 1944 and 2000.
Illinois is 6-1 against the spread in neutral site games this year and 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. They are +550 to reach the Final Four and +3500 to win the tournament. The Fighting Illini’s best tournament result was a second place finish in 2005.
Iowa State is 5-3 ATS in neutral site games and they’ve covered in five straight games overall. They are +375 to reach the Final Four and +2000 to win the tournament. The Cyclones’ best tournament result was a Final Four appearance in 1944.
Illinois Fighting Illini (3)
Illinois’ offence has come up clutch in this tournament, boosting them to an 85-69 win over Morehead State in the first round and an 89-63 victory over Duquesne in the second round. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask both had monster performances against Duquesne. Shannon finished with a game-high 30 points, while Domask added 22 points and seven assists.
Projected to be a high first-round pick in this year’s NBA draft, Shannon is the third-highest scoring player in the nation, averaging 23.3 points per game while shooting 48.1 per cent from the field. The Fighting Illini rank 10th in overall KenPom rating and they are first in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency.
Iowa State Cyclones (2)
Iowa State has suffered from slow starts this season, but they still managed to down No. 15 South Dakota State 82-65 in the first round of the tournament before taking out No. 7 Washington State 67-56 in the second round. It took the Cyclones 13 minutes to score 10 points against Washington and they didn’t pull away until late in the game. Tamin Lipsey was Iowa State’s highest scorer with 15 points and Curtis Jones had 14. Keshon Gilbert and Milan Momcilovic each put up 10 points.
Gilbert and Lipsey have been the Cyclones’ best players this season. Gilbert averages a team-high 13.7 ppg, while Lipsey is second with 12.5 ppg. Lipsey’s matchup against Illinois’ Domask could be key as the Iowa State point guard averages an impressive 2.7 steals per game, the best average of any player left in the tournament. The Cyclones are No. 7 in the overall KenPom rankings and they are first in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency.
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