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The Illinois Fighting Illini (27-8) battle the Duquesne Dukes (25-11) Saturday in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament from CHI Health Center Omaha. Tip is set for 8:40 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Duquesne vs. Illinois odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Illinois is No. 10 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and seeded 3rd in the East Region. The Illini beat the No. 14 Morehead State Eagles 85-69 Thursday, covering as an 11-point favorite. Illinois has covered in 3 straight games and ended the regular season 17-12-2 against the spread (ATS). It won the Big Ten Tournament and is one of the hottest teams in the country.
Duquesne has also proven itself, taking down Dayton and VCU en route to an Atlantic 10 Championship. It was just 14-16 ATS on the season, but has covered 5 straight since the end of the regular season. The 11th-seeded Dukes beat the 6-seed BYU Cougars 71-67 Thursday, covering as a 9-point underdog. They have covered in 8 of their last 9 games and have covered in 5 straight as an underdog.
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Duquesne vs. Illinois odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 3:18 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Duquesne +400 (bet $100 to win $400) | Illinois -550 (bet $550 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Duquesne +9.5 (-102) | Illinois -9.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 147.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Duquesne vs. Illinois picks and predictions
Prediction
Illinois 76, Duquesne 69
Moneyline
PASS.
There’s no reason to bet the favorite here. Although an upset is possible, still avoid the Dukes on the moneyline.
Against the spread
BET DUQUESNE +9.5 (-102).
This is going to be a clash of styles. Duquesne sits 257th in the country in field goal attempts per game (56.6) while Illinois ranked 33rd (62.1). If the game is slower, fewer points should be scored which may not give the Fighting Illini much chance to pull away by double figures.
Illinois also outlasted Morehead State, but it didn’t showcase its prowess despite covering. The Fighting Illini were up just 1 at half. Meanwhile, Duquesne forced BYU to shoot 39% from the field and 33% from deep. The Dukes defense is legit and limited VCU to 51 and Dayton to 57 in the last week.
Back DUQUESNE +9.5 (-102).
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Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 147.5 (-110).
The Dukes just play too slow and have too good of a defense to bet for points in this game. They have gone Under in 4 straight games and were 8-21-1 O/U on the regular season.
Illinois has been a powerhouse for hitting the Over and was 21-10 O/U during the regular season and 4-0 O/U in the postseason. The Fighting Illini hit 54% of their shots and 46% of their 3s on Morehead State. Those are unlikely to be repeated.
That said, expect the slower pace to be the main factor here and take UNDER 147.5 (-110).
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