In a closely-handicapped matchup on Friday afternoon at the NCAA Tournament, No. 7 Illinois is a small favorite on the March Madness betting lines against No. 10-seeded Colorado.
The Fighting Illini have been a team to avoid on the betting lines lately, with Illinois going just 1-6 ATS over its past seven games. Meanwhile, the UNDER has gone 13-3 for totals bettors over the last 16 games played by the Buffaloes.
Supporters of the Buffaloes have watched them go 21-11 and 17-13 ATS on the year, while the Fighting Illini are at 22-12 and 13-18 ATS. In totals betting, the Fighting Illini are 12-18, while the Buffaloes have a 9-18 mark.
View Colorado vs Illinois Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
The Buffaloes were listed as 1.5-point underdogs at many online sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. The total was sittiing around 126.5 at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Fighting Illini sit at No. 104 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Buffaloes sit at No. 38 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Buffaloes will win this game 71-70.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Illinois's No. 130 nationally ranked offense (69.1 points per game) against a Buffaloes defense that sits as the No. 104 at 63.8 PPG. The Fighting Illini have been averaging 41.6% from the field, less than the Buffaloes have managed so far this season (43.6% on average).
Defensively, Colorado features the nation's No. 74-rated defense on the road, allowing 65.3 points per game. Illinois, meanwhile, comes in at No. 155 nationally in scoring at home.
Colorado was a 79-69 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Arizona. They failed to cover the 5-point spread as underdogs. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 18 points in a futile effort to lead the Buffaloes to a win (they lost 79-69 to Arizona at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Thursday).
Illinois was an 80-64 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Indiana. They failed to cover the 10-point spread as underdogs. Illinois got 16 points from Tracy Abrams but lost anyway, 80-64, to Indiana on Friday at United Center.
Colorado Buffaloes Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
After playing Arizona are 4-2
After a loss are 8-2
Illinois Fighting Illini Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
After playing Indiana are 7-3
After a loss are 5-5
A few Buffaloes at Fighting Illini trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Illinois's last 8 games
Illinois is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Illinois is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
