The Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball program will be trying to book a spot in their seventh Final Four in the 2024 March Madness tournament. UCONN will face the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Elite Eight on Saturday, a game that will take place in the East Region’s final.
Connecticut has done well after making the Final Four in the past, winning the whole tournament five times in their six appearances in the season-ending college basketball extravaganza. They did enter the Sweet 16 as the betting favorite to win the title. They will likely remain there should their survive this upcoming game against Illinois. My UCONN vs Illinois prediction is that Connecticut will cover the spread with a big contribution from their center, Donovan Clingan.
Connecticut Huskies vs Illinois Fighting Illini:
Game time: 6 PM ET
UCONN’s spread: -8.5 (bet365)
Men’s Basketball Championship – East Region Final – Elite 8
Venue: TD Garden in Boston
Connecticut Huskies: Recent Games
UCONN has not faced a threat in the national tournament so far. Through the first three rounds, they have gone +39, +17, and +30 for spreads. In the last round, the team handled San Diego State with some ease, winning 82-52. The big spread allowed the Huskies to play their entire bench, however, only seven players logged meaningful minutes in the game.
Donovan Clingan was the favorite to win the tournament’s MOP heading into the Sweet 16. His chances may have tumbled a little after an eight rebound and eight-point performance in the last round. He was the starter who sat the most in the blowout victory and his stats were hurt accordingly. But bettors should expect an energetic performance out of him against Illinois.
Illinois Fighting Illini: Recent Games
Illinois heads into the game with a 29-8 record on the season. The team has not made the Final Four since the 2005 season. This season is the first time that they have made it to the Elite Eight since that season as well.
Their head coach, at the age of 60, is inexperienced in this round of play. This season marks the first time that he has lasted longer than the round of 32 in any NCAA tournament. In the current tournament, Illinois has advanced through Morehead State (+16), Duquesne (+26), and Iowa State (+3).
UCONN vs Illinois Prediction: Same game parlay
I like UCONN’s chances of winning big in this game. Clingan, their 7’2″ center, has not faced a heavy workload in the tournament. When he was last called upon for a 30+ minute game it was in the Big East final. He posted a double-double for points and rebounds with 22 and 16 respectively.
Now that UCONN’s competition has improved, after the early-round fluff, I think Dan Hurley will need to go back to Clingan for big minutes. The result should be a double-digit Connecticut spread with Clingan leading the way statistically. I like UCONN to cover -8.5 with Clingan OVER 14.5 points in the game at +230 (bet365).
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