Illinois vs Iowa College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

The No. 9 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (24-12, 10-10 Big Ten) will hit the court for an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchup with the No. 3 seed Illinois Fighting Illini (27-8, 15-5 Big Ten) on Saturday at Toyota Center, airing on TBS starting at 6:09 p.m. ET, with the winner moving on to the Final Four.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Illinois vs. Iowa Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Saturday, March 28, 2026
• Game time: 6:09 p.m. ET
• TV channel: TBS
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Arena: Toyota Center

Illinois vs. Iowa Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Illinois win (60.6%)

Before placing a bet on Saturday's Illinois-Iowa spread (Illinois -6.5) or over/under (137.5 points), see the betting insights and trends below.

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Illinois vs. Iowa: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Illinois has compiled a 21-14-0 ATS record so far this year.
• Iowa has won 21 games against the spread this season, while failing to cover 15 times.
• When the spread is set as 6.5 or more this season, Illinois (14-10) covers a lower percentage of those games when it is the favorite (58.3%) than Iowa (4-1) does as the underdog (80%).
• The Fighting Illini own a worse record against the spread at home (10-7-0) than they do in away games (6-4-0).
• The Hawkeyes' winning percentage against the spread at home is .588 (10-7-0). On the road, it is .455 (5-6-0).
• Illinois has 11 wins against the spread in 21 conference games this year.
• Iowa has beaten the spread 10 times in 23 Big Ten games.

Illinois vs. Iowa: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Illinois has been the moneyline favorite in 24 games this season and has come away with the win 19 times (79.2%) in those contests.
• The Fighting Illini have a mark of 16-3 in contests where bookmakers favor them by -300 or better on the moneyline.
• Iowa is 3-9 in games it was listed as the moneyline underdog (winning 25% of those games).
• When playing as a moneyline underdog with odds of +240 or longer, the Hawkeyes have a record of 1-3 (25%).
• Sportsbooks have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that Illinois has a 75% chance of pulling out a win.

Illinois vs. Iowa Head-to-Head Comparison

• Illinois' +532 scoring differential (outscoring opponents by 15.2 points per game) is a result of scoring 84.2 points per game (21st in college basketball) while giving up 69.0 per outing (56th in college basketball).
• Illinois' leading scorer, Keaton Wagler, ranks 110th in the nation averaging 17.7 points per game.
• Iowa outscores opponents by 8.9 points per game (posting 75.0 points per game, 200th in college basketball, and conceding 66.1 per outing, 16th in college basketball) and has a +318 scoring differential.
• Bennett Stirtz's team-leading 19.7 points per game rank him 39th in college basketball.
• The Fighting Illini are sixth in the country at 37.8 rebounds per game. That's 10.0 more than the 27.8 their opponents average.
• David Mirkovic is 81st in college basketball action with 8.0 rebounds per game to lead the Fighting Illini.
• The Hawkeyes pull down 26.9 rebounds per game (355th in college basketball), compared to the 26.1 of their opponents.
• Tavion Banks is 731st in the nation with 4.7 rebounds per game, leading the Hawkeyes.
• Illinois ranks fourth in college basketball with 109.2 points scored per 100 possessions, and 46th in college basketball defensively with 89.5 points conceded per 100 possessions.
• The Hawkeyes' 107.6 points per 100 possessions on offense rank 15th in college basketball, and the 94.9 points they allow per 100 possessions rank 168th in college basketball.

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