Southern champion 13-seed Chattanooga are set to face off against Big Ten power and four-seed Illinois in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Take a look at our March Madness odds series which includes our Chattanooga Illinois prediction and pick. The madness has officially arrived!
Entering the tournament, Chattanooga completed their historic season by finishing 27-7 (14-4) and downing their conference nemesis in Furman 64-63 on a wild, last-second heave by David-Jean Baptiste at the buzzer to punch their ticket to the big dance. The miraculous shot has the Mocs buzzing and ready to fight against Illinois, as Chattanooga possesses one of the better backcourts in all of the nation and is one of few teams that rank inside the top-100 within offensive and defensive efficiency. Will the Mocs be poised for a Cinderella run?
Illinois' early exit in the Big Ten Conference Tournament was a surprise to many, as the Fighting Illini were outmatched and out-hustled against the Hoosiers. Despite the setback, Illinois is as deep as any squad in the tourney, as they completed their season compiling a record of 22-9 (15-5), which was good enough to finish tied for first with Wisconsin as well as a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Chattanooga-Illinois odds:
March Madness odds: Chattanooga-Illinois Odds
Chattanooga: +7.5 (-106)
Illinois: -7.5 (-114)
Over: 135.5 (-110)
Under: 135.5 (-110)
*Watch March Madness Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why Chattanooga Could Cover the Spread
With every Cinderella run comes big-time performances, and Chattanooga will certainly need a couple of these if they are willing to bust brackets all across America. Entering the 2022 NCAA Tournament, the Mocs are seeking their first-ever March Madness victory, as their most recent appearance came as the 14-seed back in 1997. The one name to know if Chattanooga is looking to take down Goliath and have a shot in covering the spread will fall on the shoulders of SoCon Player of the Year Malachi Smith, who ranks 18th nationally in points per game with 20.1 a contest. A player of this caliber, especially at the guard position in college basketball, has the ability to dictate just how this first-round matchup will play out on Friday in the Steel City.
Not to mention, it appears the basketball Gods were on Chattanooga's side in their championship game versus Furman, as playmaker David Jean Baptiste threw up a prayer from near half-court, and boy, was it so ever answered. As the shot hit nothing but nylon, the hectic and historic finish reminded everyone who has ever loved sports why they fell in love with them in the first place. The Mocs are surprisingly stout defensively, as they are allowing only 64.7 PPG to opposing teams. Chattanooga will need every ounce of effort on both sides and maybe even a little bit of luck in order for them to play spoiler against Illinois, but never say never come March!
Why Illinois Could Cover the Spread
Let us forget about the meltdown by the Fighting Illini that occurred only a few short days ago, as everything that could've gone wrong did against a feisty IU team did. Shockingly, Illinois only shot 35% in their loss, something that was an anomaly with their 75.8 PPG on offense and the amount of weapons on the floor that could make any opposing coach's hair turn grey in the blink of an eye. Now that we can move past Illinois' rare hiccup, many college basketball insiders have the Fighting Illini making a deep run in the tournament, and they sure have the pieces to possibly put it all together.
More notably, Illinois can attack you with multiple playmakers, as they contain three All-Big Ten selections in Tren Frazier, Alfonso Plummer, and Kofi Cockburn, in which the latter averaged an impressive 21.0 PPG and 10.6 RPG in route to being a Wooden Award finalist. Cockburn is a mismatch nightmare, as his brute strength down-low should exploit the Mocs' inability and weakness to keep skilled big men in check. Illinois will cover the spread in large part due to their versatility on offense, with a handful of players capable of going berserk even if someone else is having an off shooting night. The upper hand in talent and overall depth will be the reason the Fighting Illini pull away in the second half.
Final Chattanooga-Illinois Prediction & Pick
Expect a grind-it-out game in this one, as it should serve as a “get right” type of performance that is desperately needed for Illinois to make some noise in this bracket. This 4-seed vs 13-seed matchup will be close for a majority of the afternoon, but don't assume that that will be the case in the waning moments. The Fighting Illini pull away in this one late, and will eventually exhaust the Mocs down the stretch, as Illinois is too big and athletic for Chattanooga to pull off the upset. Go all-in on the boys from Champaign!
Final Chattanooga-Illinois Prediction & Pick: -7.5 (-114)
Follow Us
Subscribe