Duquesne vs Illinois picks, predictions, odds: Who wins March Madness NCAA Tournament game?
No. 11 seed Duquesne and No. 3 seed Illinois play Saturday, March 23 in an NCAA Tournament second-round game in Omaha, Nebraska.
The East Region game is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. PT and can be seen on TNT (stream with Sling TV).
Who will win the March Madness game and advance to the Sweet 16? Check out these NCAA Tournament second-round picks and predictions for the men's college basketball matchup.
Illinois is a 9.5-point favorite in the game in March Madness odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook. The Fighting Illini are -500 on the moneyline. The Dukes are +375. The over/under for the game is set at 148.5 points.
Duquesne defeated No. 6 seed BYU in the first round, 71-67. Illinois beat No. 14 seed Morehead State, 85-69.
Saturday's March Madness picks, predictions: Dayton vs Arizona | Gonzaga vs Kansas | Michigan State vs North Carolina | Washington State vs Iowa State | Oakland vs NC State | Texas vs Tennessee | Duquesne vs Illinois | Oregon vs Creighton
Sunday's March Madness picks, predictions: Colorado vs Marquette | Utah State vs Purdue | James Madison vs Duke | Clemson vs Baylor | Grand Canyon vs Alabama | Northwestern vs UConn | Texas A&M vs Houston | Yale vs San Diego State
Sportsbook Wire: Illinois 78, Duquesne 69
It writes: "Illinois has won 20 games against the spread this season, while failing to cover or pushing 15 times. Duquesne has covered 19 times in 36 games with a spread this year. The Fighting Illini average 18.3 more points per game (84.4) than the Dukes allow (66.1)."
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Sporting News: Illinois 74, Duquesne 68
David Fletcher writes: "Despite the final result from their game, the oddsmakers were still somewhat conservative on the spread for this one. That shows there is vulnerability there that could be exploited. We like the Dukes to cause a scare here, but thanks to the experience of Illinois, we like them to hold on down the stretch of a close game. Shannon Jr. is a junior and Domask is a senior. The big moments aren’t new to them, which is usually the cause of most favorites dropping these types of games."
Fansided: Bet Illinois to cover vs. Duquesne in NCAA Tournament
Shelby Dermer writes: "Defensively, Illinois can pack the paint (No. 31 in 2-point shooting) against a struggling Dukes’ offense that struggles to shoot the rock (No. 208 in effective field goal percentage) and gets a ton of its shots blocked (No. 310 in block percentage). Illinois uses its size to take control of this matchup and advances to the Sweet 16."
March Madness game odds: Point spreads, moneylines, over/unders for Saturday, Sunday
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Stat Salt: Take Duquesne with the points vs. Illinois
Craig Forde writes: "Illinois owns a 2-1 SU record in the head-to-head, though the last meeting came in December of 1988. The lone common opponent between the two teams this season was Nebraska. Illinois beat the Huskers twice in conference play while the Dukes lost to them by ten on the road. However, that meeting was very early in the season, when Duquesne was still trying to figure things out. They’ve proven to have done that by this point and more specifically with their win on Thursday. The Illini allowed Morehead State to stay close and with the same opportunities, the Dukes will stretch things and stay close all game. Duquesne’s defense should be able to at least slow down Illinois’ offense at the start of the game, which will allow them to dig in a bit more. Neither side has a discernible advantage in the paint. The Dukes have been an extremely difficult team to bet against of late as they have gone 8-1 ATS over their last nine and 5-0 ATS in their last five games, each of those bigger than the last."
ESPN: Illinois has an 88% chance to beat Duquesne in March Madness
The site gives the Dukes a 12% shot at defeating the Fighting Illini in Saturday's second-round March Madness NCAA Tournament game.
March Madness predictions: ESPN's game predictor's picks, win probabilities for Saturday
March Madness predictions: ESPN's game predictor's picks, win probabilities for Sunday
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STREAM THE GAME: Watch Duquesne vs. Illinois live with Sling TV
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Duquesne vs Illinois March Madness NCAA Tournament picks, predictions
