Houston men's basketball takes on Illinois in March Madness: Odds
· Yahoo Sports
The Houston Cougars; February swoon has given way to typical March excellence, as the defending national runner-ups have moved within two games of a Final Four and now they get to play in their home city.
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In their way is No. 3 Illinois, which advances to the Sweet 16 with a pair of blowout victories and now gets to travel to Houston to vie for a spot in the Elite 8.
Houston is a slight favorite, as a No. 2 seed in its hometown will be against a No. 3, as either Nebraska or Iowa awaits the winner.
Houston men's basketball vs. Illinois in March Madness today
The No. 2 Houston men's basketball team takes on No. 3 Illinois in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament's South Region in Houston. The 8:05 p.m. MT/9:05 p.m. tip Thursday, March 26, will be aired on TBS.
How to watch Houston vs. Illinois in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16
The Houston vs. Illinois game will air at 8:05 p.m. MT/9:05 p.m. on TBS on Thursday, March 26.
More: Predicting every Men's NCAA tournament game using AI
Who does the winner of Houston-Illinios play?
The winner of the No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois game advances to the Elite 8 South Region final in Houston where it will play the winner of No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa.
Houston men's basketball record
The Houston Cougars are 30-6.
Illinois men's basketball record
The Illinois Illini are 26-8.
Houston Cougars vs. Illinois Illini odds
Odds from BetMGM.com: Houston -2 1/2. Moneyline: Houston -160, Illinois +125. Over/under 139 1/2.
Houston Cougars men's basketball vs. Illinois Illini predictions, picks
The Arizona Republic: Houston 73, Illinois 67
Jeremy Cluff writes: "The oddsmakers expect a close game between the Fighting Illini and Cougars after both teams cruised into the Sweet 16. Houston's experience will pay off late."
Dimers: Houston 72, Illinois 69
It writes: "After extensive simulations, our model gives Illinois a win probability of 38%, while Houston has a win probability of 62%."
ESPN: Houston has a 59.3% chance to beat Illinois
The site gives the Fighting Illini a 40.7% shot at defeating the Cougars in the NCAA Tournament March Madness Sweet 16 game.
Bookies.com: Bet the under in Illinois vs Houston Sweet 16 game
Bill Speros writes: "An Irresistible Force Meets an Immovable Object. Houston ranks 4th at KenPom with an elite defensive efficiency of 90.7 (4th nationally). Illinois sits 7th with the 2nd-best offense in the country at 131.9 adjusted efficiency. Houston's reward for reaching the Sweet 16 is a regional final at the Toyota Center, which is located about 2.5 miles from the Cougars' campus. Neither team has yet to be an underdog in this tournament. The Illini thumped VCU - the team that bounced North Carolina. Houston continued its rampage - hopefully back to the national title game - by clobbering No, 10 by 31 points. The Illini are an unlikely underdog, but the Cougars get a home-away-from-home court edge. Illinois's effort will impress, but fall short. Meanwhile, we'll take advantage of both defenses and sweat the under just in case Brad Underwood's Illini feels like pulling off a monster upset in our March Madness Picks & Best Bets.
Topeka Capital-Journal: Take Houston to beat Illinois in Sweet 16
Wyatt D. Wheeler writes: "The Cougars' defense is a safer bet to be elite than Illinois' ability to knock down 3-pointers at a high clip."
USA TODAY Sports: Go with Houston to beat Illinois
7 of 9 experts on the site predict that Houston will win the Sweet 16 game against Illinois.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Houston Cougars men's basketball plays in Sweet 16 against Illinois