What better way to spend your Saturday than watching the madness of March unfold before your very own eyes? In this Round of 32 showdown in the East Region, it will be Cinderella hopefully Duquesne that will go toe-to-toe with the Illinois Fighting Illini. Let's check out this tantalizing matchup with our March Madness odds series, as our Duquesne-Illinois prediction and pick will be revealed.
Not many expected the Dukes of Duquesne to pull off defeating a very good BYU Cougars team in the first round, but that's exactly what they did. Squeaking by in the closing moments with the 71-67 victory over the Cougars, the Dukes are on an active nine-game winning streak and have not been defeated since a 12-point loss to Fordham back on Feb. 23. With underdogs all around America in Duquesne's corner for this one, do they have some more March Madness magic in their back pocket?
Meanwhile, Illinois overcame a slow start by obliterating Morehead State in the second half of play. By the time the clock hit triple-zeroes, it was the Fighting Illini that outscored the Eagles 46-31 en route to the second round. With the victory, Illinois improved to 27-8 on the year and are once again showcased just how dangerous they can be when clicking on all cylinders, Do the Big Ten Tournament champs have what it takes to keep on dancing?
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Duquesne-Illinois Odds
Duquesne: +9.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +400
Illinois: -9.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -550
Over: 146.5 (-115)
Under: 146.5 (-105)
How to Watch March Madness
Time: 8:40 ET/5:40 PT
TV: TNT
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Duquesne Will Cover The Spread/Win
The champions of the Atlantic-10 will undoubtedly have their hands full against an extremely dynamic Illinois squad, but don't count out the Dukes to put the Fighting Illini on upset alert!
Following their first NCAA Tournament win since the 1969 season, the Dukes will need to continue playing hounding defense like they did against BYU. In that one, it was Duquesne that suffocated BYU on that end of the floor resulting in the Dukes holding the Cougars to just 38% shooting from the field. Furthermore, grabbing an early lead and spending no time looking back could be vital. Similarly to the A-10 Championship game as well as in the first round, the Dukes love jumping out to early leads. By playing at their pace and keeping Illinois from earning extra possessions by corralling offensive boards, then they'll have a tremendous shot to play spoiler.
Overall, the Dukes will need to lean on a defense that is ranked 29th in the nation in points allowed and are rated 53rd against the three-point shot. If Duquesne doesn't let Illinois dictate the game from start to finish in these areas, then the Dukes can shock the world for the second time in four days.
Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread/Win
Offense, offense, and more offense. If the Fighting Illini are going to survive and advance, then hitting some clutch shots from start to finish will be an absolute must.
Luckily, Illinois is the 12th-highest-scoring team in the nation with 84.4 points per game. Most recently, Illinois used their supreme shooting touch to overwhelm Morehead State. At the end of the day, the Illini shot a combined 54% from the floor including a lethal 46.2% from beyond the arc. No matter who you are, shooting that effectively from deep will put a team in an excellent position to put a victory in the win column.
Possessing the third-leading scorer in the country on your roster in guard Terrence Shannon Jr. isn't a bad dilemma by any means as well. Seemingly always cooking with the ball in his hands, Shannon can often make defenses look silly. Once he gets going, there nobody that's stopping him. A bonafide scorer at all three levels, the senior from Chicago is the best player on the floor which speaks volumes at this time of the year.
Of course, forcing more turnovers on defense will also be a recipe for success. After it was Morehead State that only committed six turnovers on the day, don't be shocked if Illinois head coach Brad Underwood makes it a point of emphasis to swarm defensively.
Final Duquesne-Illinois Prediction & Pick
Without a doubt, Duquesne is on the fringe of making school history. On paper, the Dukes' stingy perimeter defense may give the Fighting Illini fits, but as long as Illinois doesn't shoot themselves in the foot, then they should be alright. While this game will be close throughout, expect the Fighting Illini to pull away late.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Duquesne-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Illinois -9.5 (-110)
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