The Illini may not stay Final Four favorites according to our Illinois vs. UConn predictions and early March Madness picks for April 4.
Illinois and UConn clash in the Final Four next Saturday. Jason Logan sizes up the opening odds and market movement on this semifinal line and gives his early leans and predictions. Braylon Mullins’ bonkers buzzer beater to send the UConn Huskies to the Final Four will be featured in March Madness highlight packages from now until the robots win.
But if you think that comeback over Duke sets the Huskies up for a letdown against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the national semifinals, think again. If a five-day break doesn't bring UConn back to earth, you can be sure coach Dan Hurley will take his program down a peg or two.Connecticut opened as a short underdog versus the Illini in the Final Four, and our UConn vs. Illinois predictions size up that spread and Over/Under total, giving some earlyHere are our early thoughts on the spread and total for this week’s game. We will have a full game preview later in the week.-2 and -2.5, which is what you see from many of the popular college basketball prediction sites. However, a three-point Illini win isn’t a consensus forecast, as other models call forSome bettors will buy into the fact that Connecticut — by all logic — shouldn’t be here after rallying from a 15-point halftime hole and needing a little March magic to make the Final Four. Others will point to UConn’s victory over Illinois back in late November or the fact that the Fighting Illini have had a much easier path to the semifinals, facing Iowa, VCU, and Penn . To both sides of the argument, I would advise that you don’t dwell too much on the past and really focus on what these programs bring to Indy on Saturday. For me, I do see this spread slimming further before tipoff, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Connecticut closed as a favorite. Illinois hasn’t been popular with the betting markets all tournament. According to our Covers Consensus data, the Fighting Illini’s opponents all drew the majority of ATS picks so far in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies haven’t seen as decisive a split in support and entered the Elite Eight matchup with Duke drawing 62% of ATS selections. There are some other reasons why I’m leaning toward UConn in this game, including improved health after a five-day break, and I’ll go further down the rabbit hole in our upcoming picks and predictions. If you like the underdog in this matchup, I suggest taking them now before the Huskies become a favorite.The initial move on the total was to the Under, dropping from a high of 140.5 to as low as 139 points at some sharper shops. Illinois and UConn prefer to play half-court basketball. They don’t push tempo or look to attack on the fastbreak; instead running motion with ball movement and dig deep into the shot clock. There won’t be any easy buckets in this matchup. The Fighting Illini have the size to slow down the Huskies in the paint, while UConn can keep Illinois from crashing the offensive glass for second-chance buckets. With both teams thriving on inside-out set-ups, it comes down to which side can shoot the best from beyond the arc – or defend the perimeter. I’d lean under in a very methodical matchup in Indianapolis. : Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links. In his 20 years with Covers, lead NFL betting analyst Jason Logan has seen it all and bet it all. Through the wild west of early Internet gambling to lobbying for legalized sports betting to our brave new wagering world, Jason has been a consistent source of actionable info and entertainment for squares and sharps alike. Since joining the Covers team back in 2005, he honed his handicapping skills to provide audiences with the most thorough insights, blending traditional capping methods with advanced modelling and predictive analysis. Jason has studied the ins and outs of the sports betting business, learning from some of the most successful gamblers in the industry and the biggest sportsbook operators on the planet. He is under center for Covers during NFL season as our top NFL expert, taking the points in his infamous NFL Underdogs column and representing the Covers Community at the Super Bowl. While he lives for football season, Jason's first love is basketball and that shows in his in-depth NBA, NCAA, and WNBA betting breakdowns. On top of being a mainstay in media from coast to coast at stations like WPIX, PHL17, Fox 5 San Diego, WGNO, TSN, SportsNet, ESPN Radio, Jason's analysis has also been featured in USA Today, MSNBC, ESPN, the Wall Street Journal, CBS, Bloomberg, the L.A. Times, the New York Times and other major publications. You can also find JLo stuffing all the top picks and predictions he can into 10 minutes as the host of Covers' flagship podcast, The Sharp 600.TCU vs South Carolina Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight's Women’s March Madness GameNCAA Final Four Odds and Betting Lines: Arizona, Michigan, UConn, Illinois RemainIf you choose to make use of any information on this website including online sports betting services from any websites that may be featured on this website, we strongly recommend that you carefully check your local laws before doing so.It is your sole responsibility to understand your local laws and observe them strictly.Covers does not provide any advice or guidance as to the legality of online sports betting or other online gambling activities within your jurisdiction and you are responsible for complying with laws that are applicable to you in your relevant locality.Covers disclaims all liability associated with your use of this website and use of any information contained on it.As a condition of using this website, you agree to hold the owner of this website harmless from any claims arising from your use of any services on any third party website that may be featured by Covers.
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