The NCAA Tournament is coming to a close with the UConn Huskies and Illinois Fighting Illini each winning their respective regions to punch their tickets to the Final Four.
UConn Huskies vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Opening Odds
Looking at the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, Illinois opens as a narrow 2.5-point favorite and holds -135 odds of winning outright. UConn holds +114 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at 140.5
UConn looked to be dead and buried in the Elite Eight against Duke, trailing by 19 points. The Huskies rallied in the second half, outscoring Duke 44-28 to get the 73-72 win. The shot that will be replayed for years to come was hit by Braylon Mullins, who pulled up from logo range to hit the game-winning three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left. The Huskies have now defeated Furman, UCLA, Michigan State and Duke on their way to yet another Final Four appearance.
Illinois’ Elite Eight matchup was not quite as dramatic. Although they also fell behind in the first half of their respective matchup, the Illini rallied in the second half to take down the Iowa Hawkeyes 71-59. They have now beaten Penn, VCU, Houston and Iowa on their way to the Final Four.
The winner of this matchup will earn a place in the NCAA National Championship and play the winner of Arizona and Michigan.
