The No. 8 seed Arkansas Razorbacks (20-13, 9-11 SEC) face off against the No. 9 seed Illinois Fighting Illini (20-12, 11-10 Big 10) Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois was edged out by the Penn State Nittany Lions 79-76 at United Center on Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten Tourney. Terrence Shannon Jr. was the top scorer in defeat with 19 points. Coleman Hawkins chipped in with 17 points.
Arkansas fell short in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tourney on Friday at Bridgestone Arena, falling to the Texas A&M Aggies 67-61. Nick Smith Jr. led the team in scoring in the loss with 16 points.
With 15 points and four blocks, Makhi Mitchell also impressed. The Fighting Illini have been led this season by Shannon Jr., who is averaging 16.1 points per game. Meanwhile, Hawkins is contributing 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Ricky Council IV has powered the Razorbacks’ offense, averaging 15.9 points per game. Mitchell is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game, and Anthony Black is doling out 4.2 assists. The Razorbacks are one of the country’s most accurate teams from the field, ranking 30th at 47.5%.
Illinois is 4-6 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -1.1 (73.9-75.0). For the season, the Fighting Illini are averaging 74.7 points per game, compared to 67.0 for opponents.
Arkansas has also a 4-6 record over the last 10, scoring 74.5 points per game on average while allowing 72.4 (+2.1 margin). The Razorbacks are averaging 74.4 ppg for the full season while allowing 67.4.
FIGHTING ILLINI HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Ty Rodgers: 11.8 | 8.2 | +3.6
Jayden Epps: 6.0 | 13.1 | -7.1
Points per game:
Jayden Epps: 4.3 | 9.7 | -5.4
Rebounds per game:
Dain Dainja: 3.8 | 5.5 | -1.7
RAZORBACKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Nick Smith Jr.: 23.8 | 8.0 | +15.8
Jalen Graham: 1.6 | 7.1 | -5.5
Points per game:
Ricky Council IV: 11.8 | 15.9 | -4.1
Rebounds per game:
Davonte Davis: 5.8 | 4.1 | +1.7
Makhi Mitchell: 3.6 | 5.5 | -1.9
Assists per game:
Davonte Davis: 1.2 | 2.6 | -1.4
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Illinois (+110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
