Posted at 4:00 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle +102 BET365 +100 Sportsinteraction +100   888Sport +100

Illinois +102 over Iowa State

TD Garden - Boston, MA

Men's Basketball Championship - East Region - Sweet 16

Streaming: TBS/truTV

10:10 PM EST. The Big Ten (B1G) and Big 12 take center stage in this nightcap, as the nation's #1 offense in the Illini of Illinois will take on the country’s top defense in the Cyclones of Iowa State (ISU). Perhaps more specifically, the Cyclones will be taking on Terrence Shannon Jr., who has haunted them throughout his career, after posting a 6-0 record against ISU back when he played at Texas Tech, where he averaged double-digit scoring in those games. Since joining Illinois last season, Shannon Jr. has become one of the best players in America, as he averages a team-high 23.3 points per game and put up 30 in Illinois' 89-63 drubbing of Duquesne in the Round of 32 last Saturday. Illinois knocked off Morehead State in the First Round, and the Illini have taken some shots from the talking heads for the “weak” path they’ve had to the Sweet 16, but we’ll note these were the same talking heads that were pumping up Morehead State as a potential Cinderella.

Meanwhile, the Cyclones beat South Dakota State, 82-65 in Round 1, and then #7 seeded Washington State in the Round of 32, 67-56, which has the market and the media hyping them as “battle-tested” after they also ran through the Big 12 tournament, beating both #3 seed Baylor and #1 seed Houston, the latter by an eye-popping 69-41 score. That’s not to say the Cyclones aren’t capable of winning this game, too, and beating another quality outfit, but ISU’s stock is at a season-high, which means it’s not time to buy, it’s time to sell. To further that point, the Cyclones have won nine of their last 10 and they’ve covered five in a row.

They say “defense” wins championships, and that may be true, but the Cyclones have had problems scoring in this tournament in the past, getting sent home after awful shooting performances the last two years. We can’t predict if the Cyclones will be on their game again tonight, but we do know that if there is even a chill in the air, Illinois is well-equipped to make them pay in transition. If ISU comes out cold (1-for-13) as they did versus Washington State and scores just four points in nine minutes, Illinois is going to boat race them. Even if ISU is as hot as they possibly could be, they are still going to struggle to compete with a roster that man-for-man is vastly superior. We get the better team and the best player on the court and plus money. Yeah, that’s a wager we’re going to make every time.

Sherwood

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