The 3rd-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini (28-8) meet the No. 2 seed Iowa State Cyclones (29-7) Thursday in a Sweet 16 matchup at TD Garden in Boston. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:09 p.m. ET (TBS/truTV). Below, we look at Illinois vs. Iowa State odds from BetMGM Sportsbook before making our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
Iowa State won the Big 12 Tournament with a low-scoring 69-41 victory against then-No. 1 Houston, which is a 2-seed in this NCAA Tourney. The Cyclones advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins — and covers — against 15th-seeded South Dakota State (82-65 in 1st round) and 7th-seeded Washington State (67-56 in 2nd). They averaged 74.5 PPG in the 2 games, while allowing 60.5 PPG. Iowa State is 5-0 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) in its last 5 outings with the Under going 3-2.
Tenth-ranked Illinois routed a pair of double-digit seeds, pushing aside 14th-seeded Morehead State 85-69 in the opening round, and topping 11th-seeded Duquesne 89-63 Saturday. The Fighting Illini have won 6 in a row, including a 3-0 run to the Big Ten Tournament title, while going 5-1 ATS in the span. They are on a 5-0 Over run, too.
Iowa State is No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, while as mentioned, Illinois checks in at No. 10.
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Illinois vs. Iowa State odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook’s; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 5:06 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Illinois +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Iowa State -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Illinois +2.5 (-110) | Iowa State -2.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 146.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
2023-24 betting stats (includes postseason)
Source: Covers.com
- ML: Illinois 28-8 | Iowa State 29-7
- ATS: Illinois 21-13-2 | Iowa State 24-10-2
- O/U: Illinois 26-10 | Iowa State 17-19
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Illinois vs. Iowa State head-to-head
These schools last met on the hardwood Nov. 28, 2018 in Champaign with the Cyclones coming away with an 84-68 win. The Cyclones have won the past 2 meetings vs. the Illini with the Under going 2-0.
This will be the 1st time these 2 meet in an NCAA Tournament game.
Iowa State is making its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2022 and 7th in program history. The Cyclones last advanced to the Elite 8 in 2000 — before that, they made their only other Elite 8 appearance in 1944.
Illinois is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005, when it went all the way to the National Championship Game before losing to North Carolina. The last time Illinois beat 2 double-digit seeds in the first 2 games of the NCAA Tournament, it got bounced by top-seeded Kansas 73-69 in the Sweet 16 in 2002.
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