Illinois vs Pennsylvania College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament First Round

The No. 14 Pennsylvania Quakers (18-11) will be looking to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament when they take on the No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini (24-8) on Thursday. This 3-14 matchup in the South Region bracket tips off at 9:25 p.m. ET.

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. Pennsylvania Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Thursday, March 19, 2026
• Game time: 9:25 p.m. ET
• TV channel: TNT
• Location: Greenville, South Carolina
• Arena: Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Illinois vs. Pennsylvania Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Illinois win (88.6%)

Before making a bet on Thursday's Illinois-Pennsylvania spread (Illinois -25.5) or over/under (151.5 points), see the betting insights and trends below.

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Illinois vs. Pennsylvania: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Illinois has compiled an 18-14-0 record against the spread this season.
• Pennsylvania is 19-9-0 ATS this season.
• The Fighting Illini have done a better job covering the spread in road games (6-4-0) than they have in home games (10-7-0).
• The Quakers have been better against the spread away (9-3-0) than at home (8-5-0) this season.

Illinois vs. Pennsylvania: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Illinois has been chosen as the moneyline favorite in 22 games this year and has walked away with the win 17 times (77.3%) in those games.
• The Fighting Illini have played as a favorite of -33333 or more just one time this year and came away with a win in that game.
• Pennsylvania has put together a 7-10 record in games it was listed as the moneyline underdog (winning 41.2% of those games).
• The Quakers have not yet played a game with moneyline odds of +4000 or longer.
• Sportsbooks have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that Illinois has a 99.7% chance of pulling out a win.

Illinois vs. Pennsylvania Head-to-Head Comparison

• Last season, Illinois was ninth-best in the nation on offense (83.6 points scored per game) and ranked 263rd on defense (74.8 points allowed).
• On the boards, Illinois was best in the country in rebounds (39.7 per game) last year. It was 104th in rebounds conceded (30.1 per game).
• At 14.9 assists per game last year, Illinois was 83rd in college basketball.
• Last year, Illinois was 215th in college basketball in turnovers committed (11.4 per game) and second-worst in turnovers forced (8.5).
• With 69.6 points per game on offense, Pennsylvania ranked 294th in college basketball last year. At the other end of the court, it allowed 77.4 points per contest, which ranked 317th in college basketball.
• Pennsylvania grabbed 30.1 rebounds per game (291st-ranked in college basketball). It gave up 33.1 rebounds per contest (294th-ranked).
• Pennsylvania put up 13.7 assists per game, which ranked them 165th in college basketball.
• Pennsylvania ranked fifth-worst in the country with 8.7 forced turnovers per contest. Meanwhile, it committed 10.4 turnovers per game (108th-ranked in college basketball).

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