The Illinois-Penn first-round matchup is up at DraftKings Sportsbook! Illinois is a -22.5 favorite with -10000 on the moneyline, while the total is set at 149.5 points. The Illini earned a No. 3 seed, setting up their showdown with No. 14 seed Penn.
Illinois vs. Penn Opening Odds
Illinois isn’t the most athletic team in the country, but they sure can pour it in. Breakout freshman guard Keaton Wagler leads the Illini with 17.9 points per game to go along with his 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists and 40.2% three-point percentage. Andrej Stojakovic has come off the bench since returning from an injury midseason, but he is still putting up 13.4 points per game, which is forward David Mirkovic’s scoring average as well. Point guard Kylan Boswell runs the show, while Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic serve as effective stretch bigs and Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous are their sharpshooting specialists. After beating Tennessee, Texas Tech and Missouri in nonconference play, the Illini bested Iowa, Purdue and Nebraska once Big Ten action started. Illinois’ 20-3 start turned into a bit of a tailspin down the stretch. Their 4-5 record since February 7 has featured four overtime losses, so those tight games have not worked in the Illini’s favor.
After starting the season 9-10, the Quakers came alive when it mattered most. Penn is 9-1 over their last 10, beating a top-100 Yale team in the Ivy League title game on Sunday. They were able to do that without forward Ethan Roberts, who missed the conference tournament with a concussion. If Penn gets Roberts back, that’s 16.9 points per game and 40.4% three-point shooting to help them try and pull off an upset. Forward TJ Power was an All-Ivy honoree with 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, also shooting 42.7% from deep. Thanks to that duo, the Quakers rank No. 19 in the country in three-point percentage.
The Illini boast the No. 2 offense and No. 28 defense in the KenPom, compared to the Quakers’ No. 204 offense and No. 111 defense. When it comes to tempo, Illinois ranks No. 277 nationally in pace, compared to Penn’s No. 87 ranking.
