Iowa State vs Illinois Bets start our Sweet 16 Vegas odds for March Madness betting early. With the Sweet 16 almost set (at press time), matchups get previewed at a little less hectic pace. As always, this allows us on social media to update numbers and more as game time approaches. The first two rounds were something else and provided a bunch of twists, turns, and naturally upsets.
Iowa State vs Illinois Bets start night one on Thursday night. Now, the expectation is that North Carolina will be on CBS because it is North Carolina. The Sweet 16 gets off to a fun start with two teams that could not play more opposite one another. Iowa State shuts things down defensively but has a little offensive flair. Illinois plays at one of the faster tempo’s in all of college basketball.
The East Region’s reputation as the “Region Of Death” may not be all that exaggerated. However, a few upsets happened along the way including Auburn getting taken out by Vermont of all teams. Ejections to top players happen and that derailed the Tigers as much as anything else. All it takes is one moment to turn that shining aspect completely dark.
Guard play comes across as essential once again. Iowa State’s mission has to be to slow down Terrence Shannon in any way possible. Shannon had 30 points against Duquesne on Saturday with most of those coming in a first half that saw the Fighting Illini build a 24-point cushion. This allowed Illinois to rest some of their players in the second half. However, at this time of year that does not make a difference.
Alas, watch the futures here. Shifts occur plenty with only 16 teams left. Bovada Online Sportsbook Review like Iowa State still a little bit. Furthermore, defense wins championships or so they say. If anyone can slow down that Illinois attack, it may be the Cyclones.
Iowa State vs Illinois Bets depends on that defense. Illinois averages 87 points a game so far in the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones have not scored that many points once in 2024. Therefore, if Iowa State is to win, they are going to have to hold down Illinois enough. There are a few teams that can pull this off still remaining in the tournament. One is Connecticut and another is Houston. The third would be Iowa State.
Iowa State opened up things against South Dakota State before clamping down on Washington State in the Round of 32. The Cyclones held the Cougars to 56 points and that amount honestly could have been less. Over the final 20 minutes, Iowa State limited Washington State time and time again to bad and altered shots. The result was the Cougars shooting an abysmal 21.7% from three-point range. Jaylen Wells went 2-for-11 himself.
Yes, Illinois got tons of looks against a Duquesne team that got blitzed from the start. However, the Fighting Illini only took 21 shots from beyond the arc and made seven. If Iowa State forces Illinois to take bad shots early. Things could snowball. Look at the runs Iowa State goes on in games. They typically start with the defense making a few authoritative stops in a row. The other key is the turnover battle and foul trouble.
Bettors believe Illinois has a great chance to force Iowa State out of their comfort zone. They definitely can. However, Iowa State adapts well and can score a few points themselves (see games against Texas Tech). We have a little surprise with the cover.
Iowa State vs Illinois Bets takes an early look at some props. The pace determines a lot of what will happen here. Can Illinois impose more of its will than expected? Take a look at the game props. Initial number suggest a compromise of sorts. Seeing that 146.5 number was a little bit of a surprise. However, maybe it isn’t. There is a door where the Under could hit here.
Then again, the biggest difference between the regular season and now is the abundance of props and the speed which they come out. Even the race to x points props have a bit of a tilt to Illinois early as far as the plus number. That sounds crazy but it is not. If Illinois is going to get a lead, it is more likely early than late. The suspicion is things will slow as the contest wears on.
College Basketball Props play to the percentages and take a shot at Illinois to get to ten points first at +105. These numbers will change later in the week. Iowa State over 75.5 points is also at +105. If one takes a few small dollar swings, Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert could hit their point props with ease too. Watch those numbers considerably.
The top Vegas NCAA basketball online betting sites hone in on the Sweet 16. The March Madness intensifies from here. Iowa State wants to prove their season has not been a fluke. Illinois desires to be that team that can go up against Connecticut on Saturday.
Honestly, Iowa State proved to have that late kick against Washington State and should have enough in the closing moments to fend off Illinois on Thursday. This expects to be one, fun chess match.
