Opening Illinois vs UConn Odds for the Elite Eight – Spread, Moneyline & Total

Mar 28, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Connecticut Huskies defender Cam Spencer (12) and defender Tristen Newton (2), guardant Alex Karaban (11) respond against nan San Diego State Aztecs successful nan semifinals of nan East Regional of nan 2024 NCAA Tournament astatine TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

• The #1 UConn Huskies will look nan #3 Illinois Fighting Illini successful nan 2024 Elite Eight successful nan East Region
• The Huskies person opened arsenic favorites
• See nan opening Illinois vs UConn odds, including nan spread, moneyline, and crippled full for Saturday’s crippled astatine TD Garden successful Boston

On a quest to go nan first repetition nationalist champions since nan Florida Gators successful 2006 and 2007, nan #1 UConn Huskies person already gotten further than immoderate reigning champion since by reaching nan Elite Eight. On Thursday night, nan Huskies punched their summons to nan East Region last pinch an 82-52 triumph complete San Diego State .

Standing successful nan tracks, awaiting nan UConn freight train, will beryllium nan #3 Illinois Fighting Illini, who took down #2 Iowa State successful nan precocious crippled astatine TD Garden.

The opening Illinois vs UConn likelihood heavy favour nan reigning-champion Huskies.

Illinois vs UConn Odds

The Huskies are 7.5-point favorites successful nan opening Illinois vs UConn likelihood and -325to triumph straight-up. The Illini travel backmost arsenic +260 moneyline underdogs, while nan full has opened astatine 156.5.

UConn has been nan East Region favourite from nan outset, opening astatine +110 to triumph nan East successful nan Final Four likelihood connected Selection Sunday. Coming disconnected a Big Ten Tournament win, Illinois was +700 successful nan Final Four odds 10 days ago.

UConn Wins Ninth Straight NCAA Tournament Game by Double-Digits

With Thursday’s 82-52 demolition of #5 San Diego State, nan Huskies now person a 28.7 mean separator of triumph successful this year’s NCAA Tournament, and person won each of their past 9 March Madness games by at slightest 13 points making love backmost to past season’s tear done nan bracket.

UConn didn’t sprout peculiarly good connected Thursday nighttime against nan Aztecs (46.2% from nan section and 38.5% from three) but they vanished pinch a +21 rebounding separator while limiting nan Aztecs to conscionable 36.2% from nan floor.

Cam Spencer vanished pinch a team-high 18 points while Tristen Newton and Stephon Castle added 17 and 16, respectively.

The Huskies already rated first successful adjusted ratio astatine KenPom anterior to nan triumph complete SDSU, and will only spot its +33.14 standing rise. To put that number successful perspective, past year’s title-winning squad vanished astatine conscionable +29.86.

Illinois’ Offense Stays Hot

While Illinois’ tally of 4 80-point games was stopped by Iowa State – nan nation’s apical defense successful position of ratio – Terrence Shannon Jr and institution still put connected an awesome show against nan Cyclones connected Thursday night.

At nan 14-minute mark, Shannon was personally outscoring nan Cyclones (14-12) while his Illini held a 12-point cushion. Iowa State showed its title mettle successful coming backmost from a ten-point halftime shortage (36-26) successful nan 2nd half, narrowing nan spread to 2 (53-51) pinch 5:48 to play. But Shannon proved excessively overmuch down nan agelong successful Illinois’ 72-69 win.

The nation’s third-leading scorer (23.3 PPG) vanished pinch 29 points connected 10-of-19 shooting from nan field.

In nan first round, Illinois ran complete #14 Morehead State (85-69) and followed that up pinch an 89-63 blowout of #11 Duquesne pinch Shannon scoring 26 successful information 1 and 30 successful information two.

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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.