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March Madness Round 2 Betting Trends for Duquesne vs Illinois
The Duquesne Dukes will try to keep up their unlikely March Madness run when they take on the third-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday. The two will clash in the second round for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 after both won their opening round games in different fashions. While the Illini skated by Morehead State after a strong second half, the No. 11 seed Dukes took BYU down to the wire, and will now be hoping to do the same to Illinois. The Illini are heavily favored, but it’s the NCAA Tournament, and March Madness predictions have Duquesne keeping this one closer too.
Game Information
- Game: Duquesne (25-11) vs. Illinois (27-8)
- Location: CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE
- Day/Time: Saturday, March 23, 8:40 p.m. ET
- Duquesne vs. Illinois Live Stream: TBS.com
The No. 3 seed Illinois Fighting Illini will try to avoid an upset from the 11th-seeded Duquesne Dukes when the two compete on Saturday at CHI Health Center Omaha. College basketball lines favor the Illini by 10 ½ points, with the sportsbook setting the total at 148 ½ points.
Duquesne vs Illinois Odds and Spreads
Betting Trends
- Dukes are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Dukes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games.
- Dukes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
- Dukes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.
- Dukes are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
- The Fighting Illini are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 NCAA Tournament games.
- The Dukes have gone 8-1 ATS over their last nine.
- Duquesne is 18-13-0 ATS this season.
ATS Pick: Duquesne +10 ½
The Illini pulled it out against Morehead State in the first round, but they may have a bit more trouble in the second round against Duquesne.
Despite shooting 48.4% in the first half, Illinois got out to a slow start against the Eagles, taking just a one-point lead into halftime. Against a stronger Dukes defense, those struggles may show up again. Duquesne held the sharpshooting Cougars to 38.6% shooting from the field and 33.3% from three, and it’ll look to replicate that against the Illini.
Though Illinois has one of the top offenses, averaging 84.4 points this season, Duquesne’s defense has been just as strong, ranking in the top 30 and holding teams to 66.1 points overall and 61.6 points in its last five.
The Illini should pull it out once again in the end behind the leadership of Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask, but 10 ½ points seems like too big of a spread for a team that couldn’t pull away until late in the second half last game. With the way the Dukes are rolling, they should be able to make things interesting.
Player Prop Pick: Terrence Shannon Jr. Over 23.5 Points (-118)
Illinois’ offense flows through its leader in Shannon, who has averaged 23.1 points this season, and it should be the same story again Saturday. Shannon has been on a roll through the end of the season and the postseason, scoring at least 24 points in his last five games and six of his last eight.
Shannon stepped up to the plate in the big moments as well at the start of the NCAA Tournament, scoring 26 points in the first round after scoring 34 in the Big Ten championship game. With another test coming, he’ll be relied upon to get the scoring going once again.
Scoring Prediction
Questions Of The Day
Who leads Duquesne in scoring?
Dae Dae Grant leads the Dukes, averaging 16.7 points a game.
Will the game go over the posted total?
Despite Illinois’ hot offense, the game has the chance to stay under the total.
