Illinois Fighting Illini vs UConn Huskies Prediction, 3/30/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois Fighting Illini vs UConn Huskies

Date: Saturday, March 30, 2024

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Illinois (+9)

The Illinois Fighting Illini (29-8) are hitting the road to TD Garden on Saturday where they will try to beat the UConn Huskies (34-3) in the Elite 8. Illinois opens as 9-point underdogs. The over/under is 156.

The Illinois Fighting Illini faced off with Iowa State and notched a win by a score of 72-69 in their last contest. Illinois walked away from the contest having earned a 42.1% field goal percentage (24 out of 57) and knocked down 9 of 29 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Fighting Illini converted 15 of 29 tries for a rate of 51.7%. In reference to getting rebounds, they earned a total of 37 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 16 assists in this game in addition to creating 9 turnovers and having 8 steals. Pertaining to defense, Illinois allowed 39.7% from the field on 23 out of 58 shooting. Iowa State distributed 9 assists and had 11 steals for the contest. In addition, Iowa State collected 32 rebounds (5 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Iowa State shot 81.0% from the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of 21 tries. They made 6 out of their 13 shots from beyond the arc. In relation to personal fouls, the Fighting Illini ended up with 18 and Iowa State accounted for 23 personal fouls.

Terrence Shannon is one guy who was a factor for the game. He recorded 29 points on 10 of 19 shooting. He played for 30 mins and grabbed 5 rebounds. He went 52.6% from the floor and also distributed 2 assists.

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Illinois comes into this matchup with a mark of 29-8 on the year. They are averaging 84.2 points per game (9th in the country) while hitting 47.5% from the field. The Fighting Illini are shooting 35.1% on shots from beyond the arc (311 of 885) and 73.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, Illinois is collecting 41.0 rebounds per contest and has 499 dimes this season, which is 76th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 10.6 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 15.2 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Fighting Illini are forcing their opponents into 8.7 turnovers per game while drawing 18.6 personal fouls. They concede 34.5% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 228th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (73.2). The Fighting Illini are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 43.0% (1,013 of 2,358) and they surrender 32.8 boards per game as a group. They are ranked 229th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 439 conceded on the year.

The last time they took the court, the UConn Huskies walked away with a victory by a final of 82-52 when they faced San Diego State. With respect to attacking the glass, UConn permitted San Diego State to grab 27 in total (10 on the offensive side). They shot 22.7% from three-point range by hitting 5 out of 22 and ended up shooting 5 of 10 from the free throw line (50.0%). The Huskies allowed San Diego State to knock down 21 of 58 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 36.2% for the game. When this game wrapped up, the Huskies shot 30 for 65 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 46.2%. Pertaining to shooting from beyond the arc, UConn made 10 out of their 26 attempts (38.5%). They were able to convert 12 of the free throw tries for a clip of 75.0%. San Diego State earned 16 fouls in the matchup which got the Huskies to the free throw line for a total of 16 tries. They coughed it up 9 times, while getting 10 steals for the contest. The Huskies collected 27 defensive rebounds and 20 offensive rebounds for a total of 47 in the matchup.

Cam Spencer ended up being a factor for the Huskies in this game. He recorded 18 points in his 32 mins on the hardwood and added 3 dimes in the game. He knocked down 6 out of 12 in this matchup giving him a rate of 50.0%, and tallied 5 rebounds.

UConn has a record of 34-3 so far this year. When it comes to offense, the Huskies are shooting 49.7% from the field, which ranks 5th in college basketball. UConn has scored 3,018 points so far this year (81.6 per contest) and they collect 38.8 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 18.6 times per game (3rd in Division 1) and they turn it over 9.8 times per game. The Huskies are committing 16.2 personal fouls every game and they shoot 74.2% from the free throw line.

The UConn defense gives up 31.0% on shots from behind the 3-point line (216 of 696) and opponents are knocking down 72.4% of their foul shots. They have conceded 10.2 dimes and 30.0 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 11th and 7th in those defensive categories. The Huskies are ranked 10th in college basketball in PPG given up with 63.6. They are forcing 10.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 39.4% from the field (8th 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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