The Duquesne Dukes and the Illinois Fighting Illini meet Saturday in NCAA Tournament Second Round college basketball action from CenturyLink Center Omaha. Here’s a Duquesne vs Illinois prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for the game. We will examine:
- The Duquesne recent form and player performance
- The Illinois recent form and player performance
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving Duquesne
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving Illinois
- Recent betting trends in games played between Duquesne and Illinois
- A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Duquesne vs Illinois game
Duquesne Dukes Betting Preview
Duquesne finished off the regular season on a great run and stormed through the conference tournament. The Dukes took out Saint Louis, Dayton, St. Bonaventure and VCU along the way. In their First Round matchup versus BYU, Duquesne was able to keep it going with a four-point win.
In the Cougars matchup on Thursday, the Dukes came out of halftime with a 38-30 edge. Duquesne was outscored 37-33 the rest of the way but still won it 71-67. Tops in scoring during the winning effort was Dae Dae Grant with 19 points, three boards and two assists.
Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview
Over on the Illinois side, they went 4-1 over the last five outings of the regular season (with a lone 77-71 loss to Purdue mixed in). The Illini didn’t have too many issues in the Big Ten Tournament, taking wins over Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin during their run.
Illinois stayed hot in their First Round matchup versus Morehead State on Thursday. The Illini held a slim 39-38 edge coming out of the locker room, but then hit the gas on a 46-31 run for a win 85-69. Terrence Shannon was the top team scorer on 26 points with four assists and two blocks.
Illinois Fighting Illini Team Facts
- Illinois has won each of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Thirteen of Illinois’ last 14 games against non-AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 151+ points.
- Illinois has won the first half in each of its last seven night games.
Duquesne Dukes Team Facts
- Duquesne has won each of its last nine games.
- Fourteen of Duquesne’s last 15 games have produced a total of 147 or fewer points.
- Duquesne has won the first half in each of its last seven games.
Matchup/League Facts
- Illinois ranks 358th among Division 1 teams for opponent turnovers per game this season (8.8).
- Illinois ranks 6th among Division 1 teams for rebounds per game this season (41.4).
- Duquesne ranks T43rd among Division 1 teams for opponent field goals made per game this season (23.5).
- Duquesne ranks T46th among Division 1 teams for opponent points per game this season (66.8).
Duquesne vs Illinois Prediction
I’ll probably stay with Illinois. The Illini are one of the hotter teams in the country right now, and didn’t have too much trouble getting past Morehead State. Following a bit of a slow start, Illinois ended up shooting 54.2 percent from the field with 37 rebounds and 24 team assists. That makes 70 or more points in every game since way back on January 14 (67 versus Maryland in a loss).
As for Duquesne, they played well versus BYU and could surprise here. The Dukes shot 46.4 percent from the field against the Cougars, but did have a 35-29 rebounding deficit and 11 turnovers. I like Duquesne to be competitive in the first half here, but once Illinois wears them down a bit I also like an Illini cover in the end.