The day is finally here, as the Illinois basketball team will suit up against UConn in the Final Four.
This has been over 20 years in the making for the Illini, and I am not necessarily talking about the last time we played in the Final Four. This past week has honestly felt like 20 years, as the anticipation for this game is so high.
While we all hope for a close game, the sharps in Las Vegas and those who are setting the betting lines think this one could come down to the wire.
Illinois basketball vs UConn – Spread (Illinois -1.5, UConn +1.5)
This is how it should be when you get to the Final Four. With such talented teams, the margin is going to be close when you start the game. Illinois is actually a 1.5-point favorite against a better-seeded UConn team.
When you look at the season history of both teams against the spread, Illinois covers 61.1% of the time. UConn doesn’t cover often, as they only cover 42.1% of the time. Illinois usually covers, and UConn doesn’t, so that means Illinois -1.5 looks good.
Illinois basketball vs UConn – Moneyline (Illinois -130, UConn +110)
The moneyline isn’t anything shocking. Illinois is a 1.5-point favorite, so they are a -130 on the moneyline. UConn is registering at +110, so you get more bang for your buck.
When Illinois enters games as a favorite this season, we are 24-5 overall. That is an 82.8% winning percentage. There has only been one game this season when UConn entered as an underdog, and they won that game. I would assume that was against Duke.
Illinois basketball vs UConn – Over/Under (139.5 points)
The betting sharps think this game is going to be a low-scoring affair. Both teams combining for under 70 points is an interesting number. UConn does have a pretty good defense, and Illinois has ratcheted up ours a notch in the postseason.
Illinois has had a lot of high over-under numbers this season. We only hit the over 41.7% of the time, while the under hits 58.3% of the time. UConn is right down the line at 50% for both over and under.