2026 Final Four odds, betting: Expert picks, best bets, predictions, parlays for UConn vs. Illinois
· Yahoo Sports
Fresh off one of the most shocking and memorable finishes to an NCAA Tournament game, the Huskies of UConn take the court in Indianapolis against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Final Four.
UConn reaches the final weekend of the college basketball season for the third time in the last four years thanks to Braylon Mullins’ steal and 35-foot three-pointer with less than a second to go to help the Huskies’ complete the 19-point rally against the Duke Blue Devils. Still just a stunning turn of events.
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Illinois advanced to the Final Four following a 71-59 win over Big Ten rival Iowa. The Illini won each of their four Tournament games to date by at least 10 points. Freshman Keaton Wagler was dominant against Iowa scoring 25 points including 7-7 from the free throw line to lead Illinois to its sixth Final Four but first since 2005. That season, Illinois reached the title game but lost to North Carolina.
Illinois’ offense is one of the most efficient in the nation, but it is their defense that has keyed this run to Indianapolis. They are a Top 10 defense since the start of the NCAA Tournament and they will need to be that good Saturday as UConn was the most efficient offense in the Big East this season. Ultimately, the Illini defensively must control the play of Tarris Reed Jr. If the senior controls the paint and the glass as he has through the Huskies’ first four games of the tournament, UConn will play for their third title in four years Monday night.
While UConn has to get Reed going and keep him out of foul trouble, they need someone…anyone…to step up and knock down some perimeter shots. Alex Karaban was exceptional in the first three rounds but struggled against Duke. UConn has made double-digit 3s just one time since the middle of February. The other side of that stat is they haven't given up double-digit made 3s since mid-February. Illinois attempts three-pointers at a higher rate than almost any team in the country. Silas Demary Jr. and co. must continue to defend the perimeter.
These teams actually played earlier this season. The Huskies knocked off the Illini in November at Madison Square Garden, 74-61. UConn outrebounded the taller Illini, 43-38, and held Illinois to just 21% from three-point range (6-29). Solo Ball was UConn’s leading scorer with 15. Kylan Boswell poured in 25 in the loss for Illinois.
This will be a rock fight but one that is played with a little tempo.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Game Details and How to Watch Live: UConn vs. Illinois
- Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026
- Time: 6:09PM EST
- Site: Lucas Oil Stadium
- City: Indianapolis, IN
- Network/Streaming: TBS, truTV
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Game Odds: UConn Huskies vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: UConn (+110), Illinois (-130)
- Spread: Illinois -1.5
- Total: 139.5
This game opened Illinois -2.5 with the Total set at 140.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NCAA Basketball schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: UConn vs. Illinois
UConn Huskies
- G Braylon Mullins
- G Solo Ball
- G Silas Demary Jr.
- F Alex Karaban
- F Tarris Reed Jr.
Illinois Fighting Illini
- G Keaton Wagler
- G Kylan Boswell
- F David Mirkovic
- F Jake Davis
- C Tomislav Ivisic
Important stats, trends and insights: UConn vs. Illinois
- UConn is 16-22 ATS this season
- Illinois is 21-15 ATS this season
- The OVER has cashed in just 14 of Illinois’ 36 games this season (14-22)
- The OVER has cashed in 18 of UConn’s 38 games this season (18-20)
- UConn is 2-0 on the Moneyline and 2-0 ATS against Illinois all-time
- Keaton Wagler is 24-55 (43.6%) from the field through 4 NCAA Tournament games
- Andrej Stojakovic is 22-37 (59.5%) from the field through 4 games of the Tournament coming off the bench for Illinois
- Illinois has won their 4 Tournament games by an average of 17 points
- UConn has won their 4 Tournament games by an average of 8.2 points
- Braylon Mullins is just 5-24 (20.8%) from 3-point range through 4 NCAA Tournament game
- Alex Karaban is 12-31 (38.7%) from 3-point range through 4 games of the NCAA Tournament
- Tarris Reed Jr. is averaging 21.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament this year
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Saturday’s game between Illinois and UConn:
- Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on Illinois on the Moneyline
- Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on Illinois -2.5
- Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 139.5
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