Illinois Fighting Illini vs UConn Huskies Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 04/04/2026

Game Time: 6:09 pm ET, Saturday, April 4, 2026

Venue:  Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN 

Where to Watch:  TBS, HBO Max, truTV

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Illinois -2.5, UConn +2.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Illinois -2, UConn +2; Over/Under:  139.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Illinois -1.5, UConn +1.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

Illinois Fighting Illini:  28-8 (15-5) (4th place, Big Ten)

UConn Huskies:  33-5 (17-3) (2nd place, Big East)

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Illinois Fighting Illini:  4-1  last 5

UConn Huskies:  4-1  last 5

Illinois is entering this game with a 28-8 record overall, a 15-5 record in conference games, and they are 6-3 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Iowa Hawkeyes in their last game. Keaton Wagler led the team in points in that game with 25 while Andrej Stojaković was next on the team with 17. Keaton Wagler led the team in assists with 3 in that game while David Mirković led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 47.2% from the field, 17.6% from 3-point range, and 85.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 83.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.7 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 22-14 this season and their O/U record is 15-21.

UConn is entering this game with a 33-5 record overall, a 17-3 conference record, and they are 9-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Duke Blue Devils in their last game. Tarris Reed Jr. led the team in points in that game with 26 while Silas Demary Jr. was next on the team with 11. Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. each led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Tarris Reed Jr. led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 43.8% from the field, 21.7% from 3-point range, and 70.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 83.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.7 PPG against them. UConn has an ATS record of 16-22 this season and their O/U record is 19-19.

The current betting odds have Illinois listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Illinois has looked really good in their games this season with their 28-8 record overall and their 15-5 conference record which had them right near the top of the Big Ten. They are also 6-3 in their neutral site games this season. Meanwhile, UConn has looked really good in their games this season with their 33-5 record overall and their 17-3 conference record which had them right near the top of the Big East. They have looked great in their neutral site games too, going 9-1 in those. UConn has been rolling in this tournament and they are off a huge upset win over 1 seed Duke in their last one. They have been beating some solid teams on their way to the Final Four, but that is going to start catching up to them sooner or later as they have been playing with fire in their last 2 games. They blew a 20 point lead in their win over Michigan State and now they are off a win over Duke in a game which they were trailing by 20 points at one point. They were very lucky to win that game though as Duke made a lot of mistakes down the stretch to hand it to them. Illinois has also been rolling in this tournament and even though they haven't had nearly as tough of a path, they do have a really good win over Houston in a game which they were the better team in from start to finish. Illinois has looked like the better and more stable team throughout this tournament and they are going to be out for revenge in this one. UConn did beat Illinois at the start of the season, but these are two different teams now and UConn won't be able to continue digging their way out of holes. The best way to place a bet here is on Illinois to cover the spread in this game. 

Illinois UConn Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, April 4, 2026 (6:09 pm ET start time) is Illinois 77 UConn 71.

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Illinois Fighting Illini: 12-5 ATS as a neutral court favorite or pick. 8-2 ATS in a post-season tournament game. 11-4 ATS versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting 18 free throws/game or less. 16-8 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3. 7-3 UNDER in a post-season tournament game.

UConn Huskies: 15-22 ATS in all games. 6-13 ATS after 3 or more consecutive wins. 4-7 ATS versus good defensive teams - shooting pct defense of 42% or less. 12-4 UNDER after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 32-18 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%).

Illinois Fighting Illini:  T. Bilic (F) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Jakstys (C) Out - Undisclosed. T. Rodgers (G-F) Questionable - Knee.

UConn Huskies:  None.

“It’s better than I dreamt it would ever be. Thirty-nine years in the business and that’s all I’m going to say about my side of this. This is about these guys.” - Brad Underwood after his team’s win against Iowa in the NCAA tournament Elite 8 on Saturday. 

“It just felt like the window where you’ve just got to let March Madness take over. March magic.” - Dan Hurley after his team’s win against Duke in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. 

K. Boswell 

J. Davis 

T. Ivisic 

D. Mirkovic 

K. Wagler

S. Ball 

S. Demary 

A. Karaban 

B. Mullins 

T. Reed

PPG: Keaton Wagler (17.9)

APG: Keaton Wagler (4.3)

Reb/G: David Mirkovic (8.1)

PPG: Tarris Reed Jr. (14.7)

APG: Silas Demary Jr. (5.9)

Reb/G: Tarris Reed Jr. (8.8)

Coaches:

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (9th season)

UConn Huskies: Dan Hurley (8th season)