2 Best Bets for Houston vs. Illinois in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Very few things in sports can match the unpredictability and excitement of March Madness.

The Sweet 16 is upon us, and we will have a single-game betting piece for each game. To see our thoughts on other games, check out our full March Madness predictions page.

But for Houston vs. Illinois, here are my favorite bets.

All March Madness odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and may change after this article is published. Stats via Bart Torvik and KenPom.

Sweet 16: Illinois vs. Houston Best Bets

Illinois Moneyline (+132)

Houston has made itself an elite program by being the physically superior team in almost every matchup and being able to win with defense and rebounding.

Those are two departments in which Illinois can put up a fight, and I think the Illini are a tough matchup for Houston, pushing me to back Illinois to win tonight.

Illinois has a lot of size and physicality of its own, and they've been an elite rebounding team this season, ranking seventh in the nation in total rebound rate (57.1%). They should have the edge on the glass today against a Houston team that is just 74th in total rebound rate (52.7%).

The Illini are also well positioned to combat the Cougars' fourth-ranked defense as Illinois boasts the second-ranked offense.

It's a tall task to beat Houston, but I think Illinois will be up to the challenge.

Joseph Tugler Under 15.5 Points + Rebounds (-115)

Tugler has been a key cog for Houston this year and last season, but I don't love this matchup for him.

I touched on Illinois' size earlier, and the Illini duo of Zvonimir Ivisic and Tomislav Ivisic -- both 7-footers -- can make this a tough spot for Tugler to score and rebound. Illinois also has 6-foot-9 David Mirkovic, who is the team leader in rebounds per game (7.9).

Tugler usually isn't much of a scorer, netting just 8.5 points per game this season. That scoring average dips to 7.5 points across 20 road/neutral games. In short, he'll likely need to rack up a good amount of boards to total 16 combined points plus rebounds, and Tugler is snagging just 5.3 boards per night on the year.

Which March Madness odds stand out to you this year? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.