Illinois, one of the favorites to win the tournament, will get things started against Drexel on Friday afternoon. The Dragons scraped their way into the tournament by winning the Colonial Athletic tournament from the sixth seed, and the matchup with Illinois will likely be too much for them to overcome. Here are the college basketball betting lines and best bets for today’s action
Drexel vs. Illinois| College Basketball Betting Lines
Drexel vs. Illinois Game Info
No. 16 Drexel (12-7, 4-5 Colonial Athletic Association) vs. No. 1 Illinois (23-6, 16-4 Big Ten)
Date: Friday, Mar. 19, 2021
Start Time: 1:45 p.m. EST
Bracket:Â Midwest Region
Coverage: TBS
To hammer home how significant of a mismatch this is, Illinois ranks third in the KenPom rankings, while Drexel ranks just 145th. Illinois also boasts the third-best Net rating, and Drexel ranks a lowly 135th. They have been much better offensively than defensively, and that’s a recipe for disaster against a well-balanced team like the Fighting Illini.
We have seen one 16 seed advance to the Round of 32 in tournament history, and I don’t like Drexel’s chances of becoming the second.
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Drexel vs. Illinois Moneyline College Basketball Betting Lines + Best Bets
Unsurprisingly, Illinois is quite a heavy favorite. If you expect the them to cover, you can get them as 22-point favorites at SugarHouse or DraftKings Sportsbook. You can also add a half point for the best juice at PointsBet. Should you favor Drexel instead, you can get them as 22.5-point underdogs with the best juice (-108) at PointsBet as well. Make sure to check out OddsShopper before placing your bet to confirm that you’re getting the best deal!
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Drexel vs. Illinois Total College Basketball Betting Lines + Best Bets
With the total set at 143.5 across the market, you can find the best juice on the over (-104) at PointsBet. Should you favor the under, SugarHouse, PointsBet and DraftKings all have the best deal on the market (-112). Again, you can follow all line movement directly through OddsShopper.
Matt’s Prediction – Drexel +23
Winners of the Colonial Athletic Association, Drexel drew an impossible task in Illinois. However, this Drexel team plays at a snail’s pace, potentially reducing the number of possessions in the games. Shooting 37% from 3 this year, the overall slow game environment makes 23 points too much to lay with Illinois in this spot.
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