Duquesne Dukes vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 3/23/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Duquesne Dukes vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024

Location: CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, NE

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Duquesne (+9)

CHI Health Center Omaha is where the Illinois Fighting Illini (27-8) will attempt to beat the Duquesne Dukes (25-11) on Saturday in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. Illinois opens as 9-point favorites. The betting total is set at 151.5.

The Duquesne Dukes faced off with BYU and notched a win by a score of 71-67 in their last contest. Duquesne walked away from the contest having earned a 46.4% field goal percentage (26 out of 56) and made 7 out of their 18 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Dukes made 12 of 16 shots for a percentage of 75.0%. When it comes to rebounding, they earned 27 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 13 assists for the matchup in addition to creating 11 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When discussing defense, Duquesne allowed the other team to go 38.6% from the floor on 22 out of 57 shooting. BYU doled out 16 assists and had 6 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, BYU had 32 rebounds (8 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. BYU finished shooting 88.2% when shooting free throws by knocking down 15 of 17 attempts. They also knocked down 8 of their 24 shots from distance. When discussing personal fouls, the Dukes ended up finishing with 17 and BYU totaled 18 personal fouls.

Dae Dae Grant is someone who came through for the game. He accounted for 19 points on 6 out of 15 shooting. He played for 36 mins and also snagged 3 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 40.0% from the field and earned 2 dimes.

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Duquesne heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 25-11 on the campaign. They have an average of 70.8 points per game (262nd in D-1) while hitting 43.7% from the floor. The Dukes are shooting 34.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (274 of 804) and 71.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Duquesne is snagging 35.0 boards per contest and is sitting with 483 assists this year, which has them ranked 89th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 11.8 times per contest and as a team they commit 17.1 fouls every game.

On defense, the Dukes are able to force 13.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.0 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 31.7% from 3-point land and they are ranked 27th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (66.1). The Dukes defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.8% (827 of 1,978) and they relinquish 34.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They are 246th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 442 conceded for the season.

The last time they took the court, the Illinois Fighting Illini got the win with a final of 85-69 against Morehead State. The Fighting Illini earned 27 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 36 for the contest. They gave up possession 9 times, while recording 5 steals in this matchup. Morehead State committed 13 fouls in this matchup which took the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for 12 tries. They were able to make 9 of the free throws for a rate of 75.0%. When discussing shots from 3-point land, Illinois converted 12 out of their 26 tries (46.2%). When all was said and done, the Fighting Illini finished 32 out of 59 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.2%. The Fighting Illini allowed Morehead State to knock down 26 of their 65 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.0% for this contest. They went 36.7% from three-point range by going 11 of 30 and ended up going 6 of 8 at the charity stripe (75.0%). In the matter of cleaning the glass, Illinois permitted Morehead State to collect 25 in all (6 offensive).

Terrence Shannon was important for the Fighting Illini for the contest. He scored 26 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and accounted for 4 assists for the game. He made 9 out of 16 for the matchup for a rate of 56.3%, and had 2 rebounds.

Illinois has a win-loss mark of 27-8 on the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Fighting Illini are shooting 47.3% from the floor, which is 44th in the nation. Illinois has scored 2,955 points on the campaign (84.4 per contest) and they collect 41.2 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.3 times per contest (162nd in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.7 times per contest. The Fighting Illini have committed 15.2 fouls per contest while shooting 74.5% from the free throw line.

The Fighting Illini defensively are ranked 238th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 73.7. They are able to force 8.7 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 43.1% from the field (143rd in college basketball). The Illinois defense surrenders 34.4% on 3-point attempts (219 of 637) and their opponents are connecting on 71.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 11.9 dimes and 32.8 boards every game, which ranks them 94th and 72nd in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Illinois (-9)

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