The top-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini (23-6) and the No. 16 Drexel Dragons (12-7) will meet on Friday to compete for a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Illinois is favored by points in the opening round matchup, which begins at 1:15 PM ET on TBS. Here are the insights you need when filling out your bracket for this 1-16 matchup.
The betting insights in this article reflect betting data from DraftKings as of March 15, 2021, 4:10 PM ET. See table below for current betting odds and CLICK HERE to bet at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Betting Odds
Illinois Betting Information
- Illinois has a 17-9-1 record ATS this year.
- The Fighting Illini are 2-0 against the spread in 2020-21 when they are at least a 22-point favorite.
- In 55.6% of their games this season (15/27), the Fighting Illini and their opponents have outscored the set over/under.
- The Fighting Illini knocked off Ohio State 91-88 in their last contest on Sunday. Andre Curbelo totaled a team-high 16 points to lead the team to the victory. They were favored by 6.5 points and failed to cover the spread, and the teams combined to hit the over on the 148 point total.
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
ALSO READ: Illinois vs. Drexel Picks, Predictions
Illinois Players to Watch
| Name | GP | PTS | REB | ASST | STL | BLK | 3PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayo Dosunmu | 26 | 20.7 | 6.3 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| Kofi Cockburn | 29 | 17.6 | 9.6 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.0 |
| Trent Frazier | 29 | 10.4 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 1.9 |
| Andre Curbelo | 29 | 9.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Adam Miller | 29 | 8.2 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
Drexel Betting Information
- With an 11-5 record ATS this season, Drexel has outplayed expectations.
- 47.1% of Drexel’s 17 games this season have fell below the over/under.
- The Dragons knocked off Elon 63-56 in their last outing on Tuesday. Mate Okros totaled a team-high 14 points to help lead the team to victory. They covered the spread as 3.5-point favorites, and the teams combined to fall short of the 130.5 point total.
Against the Spread (ATS) records are only reflective of games that had odds on them.
Drexel Players to Watch
| Name | GP | PTS | REB | ASST | STL | BLK | 3PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camren Wynter | 19 | 16.8 | 3.6 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| James Butler | 19 | 12.9 | 9.2 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| T.J. Bickerstaff | 19 | 10.6 | 5.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Zach Walton | 19 | 10.6 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.6 |
| Mate Okros | 16 | 7.3 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.9 |
Total Facts
- Illinois’ games this season have gone over the point total for Friday’s matchup (144.5 points) in 18 out of 29 opportunities (62.1% of matchups).
- Six Drexel games this year (31.6% of its matchups) ended with a final point total greater than Friday’s over/under of 144.5 points.
- The point total for the contest of 144.5 is 8.4 points fewer than the combined points per game averages for the Fighting Illini (81.4 points per game) and the Dragons (71.5 points per game).
- The 136 points per game these two teams allow to opponents on average this season are 8.5 fewer than the 144.5 total in this contest.
- This season, the average total for Fighting Illini games is 150.7 points, 6.2 more than the over/under of 144.5 points for this contest.
- Dragons games have an over/under of 138.3 points this season, 6.2 points fewer than the total points bet for this game.
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