The UConn Huskies (34-3) battle the Illinois Fighting Illini (29-8) in the Elite 8 Saturday from TD Garden in Boston. Tip is set for 6:09 p.m. ET (TBS/truTV). Below, we analyze'FanDuel Sportsbook’s'lines around the Illinois vs. UConn odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The Huskies earned the top seed in the East Region and throttled the 16th-seeded Stetson Hatters 91-52 March 22. They then beat the 9th-seeded Northwestern Wildcats 75-58 Sunday and the 5th-seeded San Diego State Aztecs 82-52 Thursday, covering as 27.5-point, 13-point and 12-point favorites, respectively. UConn was 20-11 against the spread (ATS) in the regular season and has gone 5-1 ATS in its 6 postseason games.
Illinois made a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament. It won the Big Ten in a 93-87 victory over Wisconsin March 17. The Fighting Illini were given the 3rd seed in the region and took down the Morehead State Eagles 85-69 in the 1st round, beating the Duquesne Dukes 89-63 in the 2nd round and then the No. 2-seeded Iowa State Cyclones 72-69 in the Sweet 16. Illinois has covered in each and is 5-1 ATS in its 6 postseason games (3-0 ATS in the NCAA Tournament). It finished the regular season 17-12-2 ATS.
UConn finished No. 1 in the while Illinois ended the season 10th.