Illinois vs Iowa State Predictions, Player Props & Picks for the Sweet 16

The Iowa State Cyclones chair reacts successful a second-round NCAA Tournament crippled betwixt Iowa State and Washington State, Saturday, March 23, 2024 astatine CHI Health Center Arena successful Omaha.

• The #3 Illinois Fighting Illini look nan #2 Iowa State Cyclones successful nan 2024 Sweet 16
• Illinois has scored 85-plus points successful 4 straight, while Iowa State has held 10 consecutive opponents nether 65
• See nan Illinois vs Iowa State predictions, props, and picks for March 28

A stark opposition successful styles is connected pat successful nan East Region Sweet 16 erstwhile nan #3 Illinois Fighting Illini (28-8, 7-0 neutral, 20-13-3 ATS) quadrate disconnected pinch nan #2 Iowa State Cyclones (29-7, 6-2 neutral, 25-10-1 ATS).

Tip-off betwixt Illinois and Iowa State is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET astatine TD Garden successful Boston, MA, connected Thursday night, and  nan likelihood are nan narrowest connected nan committee among nan 8 Sweet 16 matchups, pinch nan Cyclones listed arsenic flimsy 1.5-point favorites.

Illinois vs Iowa State Odds

The Illinois/ISU moneyline shows Iowa State arsenic a humble -120 favourite to triumph straight-up pinch nan Illini astatine moreover money. The crippled full is sitting astatine 146.6.

Odds arsenic of March 28. Download 1 of nan champion March Madness betting apps to stake connected nan Sweet 16. 

The victor betwixt Illinois and Iowa State will move onto nan Elite Eight successful nan March Madness bracket, facing either #1 UConn aliases #5 San Diego State, who meet earlier successful nan time astatine TD Garden successful a rematch of past year’s nationalist title game.

UConn is simply a dense -230 favourite to triumph nan East Region successful nan updated Final Four odds, followed by ISU astatine +425, Illinois astatine +600, and San Diego State astatine a distant +1400.

Illinois Offense Clicking

After a ascendant violative capacity led nan Illini to a Big Ten Tournament title, Illinois’ onslaught has stayed basking successful nan NCAA Tournament. The Illini dropped 85 points successful their first-round triumph complete #14 Morehead State (85-69) and past blew retired #11 Duquesne 89-63 successful information two.

Terrence Shannon Jr – nan third-leading scorer successful nan federation astatine 23.3 PPG – had a game-high 26 against Morehead and 30 against Duquesne. Shannon has now scored at least 25 points successful six consecutive games, including a 40 spot against Nebraska successful nan Big Ten semifinals.

Illinois’ basking streak has moved its discourtesy to first in ratio astatine KenPom. The squad is hitting astatine 35.3% from 3 (105th) and 55.3% from 2 (21st) while grabbing 36.2% of offensive-rebound chances (16th).

Marcus Domask – a Southern Illinois transportation who’s playing a point-forward domiciled for Brad Underwood’s squad – became conscionable nan tenth subordinate to grounds a triple-double successful nan NCAA Tournament during nan first round, pinch 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against Morehead State.

The Illini defense is simply a different story, sitting 91st successful ratio astatine KenPom and allowing 73.4 PPG. successful 5 of Illinois’ 8 losses this season, nan guidance scored at least 80 points.

Illinois is 9-6 straight-up against top-50 teams this season, but only 3-5 against teams successful KenPom’s apical 50.

Cyclones Distance Cougars successful Second Half

With its discourtesy sputtering, Iowa State recovered itself successful an early 11-1 spread against #7 Washington State successful nan information of 32. But nan Cyclones had travel backmost to necktie nan crippled astatine 27s by halftime and dominated nan 2nd half en way to a 67-56 triumph arsenic 6.5-point chalk.

Four different Cyclones vanished successful double-figures, led by 15 from Tamin Lipsey and 14 disconnected nan chair from Curtis Jones. Iowa State’s stifling defense held WSU to 43.1% from nan section and conscionable 21.7% from 3 (5-of-23) while forcing 13 turnovers and sending nan Cougars to nan statement conscionable 9 times.

While Illinois now sits first successful violative efficiency, nan Cyclones person moved into first successful protect efficiency. ISU has held 10 consecutive opponents nether 70 points and is allowing conscionable 61.3 PPG for nan year.

They beryllium 2nd connected turnover percent connected defense, forcing turnovers connected 25.2% of possessions, which much than makes up for a subpar defensive-rebound percent (70.6%, 196th).

Iowa State is 12-5 against top-50 teams and 5-3 against top-25 teams, including a brace of victories complete Houston (57-53 home, 69-41 neutral).

ILL vs ISU Player Props

Shannon has nan highest constituent full astatine 21.5, which is 2 points nether his play mean and 3.5 less than he’s scored successful each of his past six games. ISU starring scorer Keshon Gilbert leads nan Cyclones astatine 13.5 O/U, which is correct connected his play mean of 13.7 PPG.

Illinois vs Iowa State Prediction

Excepting a 90-89 OT nonaccomplishment to Penn State, each of Illinois setbacks this twelvemonth came against teams pinch elite defenses. Duquesne was of a akin ilk (31st successful protect efficiency, 264th successful tempo) but didn’t person nan horses to support up pinch Shannon and company. Iowa State will beryllium a different story. There won’t beryllium immoderate spread successful athleticism betwixt nan teams, and I americium sticking pinch nan Cyclones – who I person successful nan nationalist title crippled successful my expert bracket – to advance.

ILL vs ISU pick: Iowa State moneyline (-120)

Sascha Paruk NCAA Tournament betting record: 19-17 (+0.51 units)

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Sascha was a lucky subordinate successful his youth, a lawyer successful his capricious mid-20s, and has been pinch SBD since 2014. He specializes successful football, basketball, politics, baseball, and hockey.