Are you paying close attention? The Illinois Fighting Illini are perhaps the most interesting team left in the Final Four. While Michigan is a juggernaut and both Arizona and UConn are traditional powers, Illinois is more than poised to make some noise. A win over UConn would get the Illini back to the national championship game for the first time since 2005. The oddsmakers believe they can do this.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the point spreads heading into the two Final Four games.
- No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini (-2.5) vs. No. 2 UConn Huskies
- No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (-1.5) vs. No. 1 Arizona Wildcats
If we wanted to extend that out a bit, here are the potential betting odds for every possible title bout.
- No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (-4.5)
- No. 2 UConn Huskies vs. No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (-5.5)
- No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (-5.5)
- No. 2 UConn Huskies vs. No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (-6.5)
As you can see, Illinois is favored by 2.5 points to get past UConn in the Final Four. Unfortunately, the Illini would be underdogs vs. either Arizona (-4.5) or Michigan (-5.5) in the national title bout. While the Illini could benefit from Tennessee's Elite Eight curse, they better hope it truly comes to fruition. If the curse does somehow sink Michigan, it may indicate Illinois is blessed to win a national championship.
Upon further inspection, what do these latest betting odds really mean when it comes to the Illini?
Illinois is projected to reach national championship, but lose like it is 2005
Truth be told, Michigan may rather face UConn than Illinois in the national championship game. Not only would the Illini provide the slightly tougher matchup over the Huskies, but Illinois plays in the same conference as Michigan. Brad Underwood's team is far more knowledgeable of what Dusty May's team brings to the table, when compared to Dan Hurley at UConn or Tommy Lloyd at Arizona.
Having that kind of familiarity or potential animus could play a part in Illinois pulling off this upset special to perfection. So why is Illinois a slight favorite over UConn? It may not be by much, but this might play a part into that equation... UConn got by Duke by the skin of its teeth. The Huskies' Elite Eight win may have been more about Duke totally blowing it than UConn getting it done in the end.
It does not always work out like this, but oftentimes when a team advances in a postseason because its opponent seemingly imploded, it catches up to them in a real way. That could be a huge boost for the Illini and their chances of getting to the national championship. Of course, drawing either Arizona or Michigan next could prove too much to handle. Right now, Illinois has to take this one day at a time.
For Illinois to win its first national title in the modern era, Keaton Wagler will have to fully take over.