Illinois Fighting Illini vs. UConn Huskies odds, predictions, and betting tips – Huskies Coming Off Insane Win

While the other Final Four matchup is a battle of No. 1 seeds, the other, Illinois vs. UConn, is between a No. 3 seed and a No. 2 seed. The No. 1 seed in Illinois’ brackets lost in the Round of 32, while UConn had one of the greatest NCAA Tournament victories I can recall, taking down No. 1 Duke.

Both teams have been playing excellent basketball, but UConn is riding high.

Will those emotions be a positive or negative for UConn? Let’s explore this game below.

Illinois vs. UConn best bets

• Andrej Stojakovic Over 12.5 Points: -108 with FanDuel
• David Mirkovic Over 8.5 Rebounds: -136 with FanDuel
• Solo Ball Under 1.5 3-Point Shots Made: +115 with BetMGM

In the Elite Eight, Illinois took down Iowa 71-59. While the team allowed Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz to put up 24 points, only one other player, Tate Sage, had double-digit points, and he ended with 10.

Illinois’ defense has been excellent throughout the tournament, and against Iowa, they held them to 38.3% shooting from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. Illinois also obliterated them on the board, 32-18, and in points in the paint, 40-12. The score was much closer than it probably should’ve been, just 12 points, but Illinois couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc, shooting just 17.6%, making 3 of 17. Illinois is KenPom’s No. 4 squad, ranking first in offensive efficiency (131.7) and 20th in defensive efficiency (97.4).

As for UConn, again, coming off a 3-point bucket with 0.3 seconds left on the clock from nearly halfcourt by Braylon Mullins to capture a 73-72 win is what March Madness is all about. In that game, he shot just 1 of 5 from beyond the arc, and the game-winner was the only one he made.

UConn took down an incredible Duke squad, shooting just 21.7% from 3-point range. That said, UConn has perhaps one of, if not the best, players in the country right now in Tarris Reed Jr. He’s averaging almost 22 points per game, along with 13.5 rebounds. Sure, that’s slightly inflated after having 27—yes, 27 rebounds—against Furman, but he’s been unbelievable.

UConn went back-to-back in 2023 and 2024 and under Dan Hurley, they could be headed back to the title game. UConn is 27th in offensive efficiency (122.8) and ninth in defensive efficiency (93.7).

Illinois vs. UConn preview

I know UConn is coming off a massive win, but it’s hard to pass up Illinois in this spot. Illinois is simply performing better in many key areas, including rebounds, turnovers, and recent defensive play, holding teams to under 29% from beyond the arc and under 36% from the field.

These are two teams that also average the same number of possessions per game.

For UConn, they’ll need to hope Illinois has another down performance from beyond the arc, and they’ll also need to control the pace of the game and continue moving the ball around well.
That said, I think Illinois ultimately proves to be too much on the boards, and they’ll shoot better from beyond the arc.

Also, Illinois is much closer to Lucas Oil Stadium than UConn is, so that Illinois could have a stronger home-crowd advantage.

Illinois vs. UConn betting tips

Find the latest odds for Illinois vs. UConn courtesy of BetMGM. Odds are subject to change.

Andrej Stojakovic Over 12.5 Points

Stojakovic is averaging 13.6 points per game this season, and over each of the last three NCAA Tournament games, he’s finished with 13 or more, including 17 last time out against Iowa. In that game, he shot 7 of 9 on 2-point shots and didn’t attempt a single 3-point shot, which he typically averages 2.5 attempts per game.

Coming off the bench, Stojakovic has played well, and now he’ll face a UConn team that’s allowing teams to shoot nearly 47% on 2-point shots. He’ll reach 13 here.

Back Andrej Stojakovic to have 13 points or more against UConn at -108 with FanDuel

David Mirkovic Over 8.5 Rebounds

While Mirkovic will certainly contend with Reed Jr. for boards, I don’t see him having really many other issues crashing the boards. The next closest player on UConn, rebounds-wise, is Alex Karaban with 5.2.

Mirkovic has had double-digit rebounds in three of the four NCAA tournaments. Against VCU, he had five rebounds despite only playing 24 minutes. For context, over the last two tournament games, he’s played no less than 34 minutes.

He’ll reach nine.

Back David Mirkovic to have 9 rebounds or more against UConn at -136 with FanDuel

Solo Ball Under 1.5 3-Point Shots Made

Ball is averaging 1.9 made 3-point shots on 6.6 attempts per game this season, bringing his average to just 29.2%.

Additionally, over the course of this tournament, he’s shooting just 3 of 21 from beyond the arc, including going 0 for 5 against Duke.

Now, he’s taking on an Illinois team that’s holding opponents to under 29% shooting from beyond the arc over their last three games.

I’ll take the +115 value.

Bet Solo Ball to have 1 3-point shot or fewer against Illinois at +115 with BetMGM

Illinois vs. UConn injury report

Below are the key injuries to report ahead of this contest.

Illinois Fighting Illini

• Out: Jason Jakstys (center) – undisclosed
• Questionable: Toni Bilic (forward) – undisclosed; Ty Rodgers (guard/forward) – knee
• Doubtful: N/A

UConn Huskies

• Out: N/A
• Questionable: N/A
• Doubtful: N/A

Illinois vs. UConn game info

• Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026
• Time: 6:09 pm ET
• Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN
• Where to watch: TBS/truTV/HBO Max

About the author

Richard Janvrin

Richard Janvrin brings nearly a decade of experience covering sports, sports betting, and everything iGaming. Richard received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism/English from the University of New Hampshire. Throughout his career, Richard has written for sites like Bleacher Report, Forbes, The Game Day, WSN, Gambling.com, and many more.

Find him on Twitter: @RichardJanvrin

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