USA - NCAA Division I, Championship Women
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by Travis Pulver | in Basketball Picks
The No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns will continue their march to the national championship with a second-round battle against the No. 8 seed Illinois Fighting Illini at the Moody Center in Austin, TX. Fans can enjoy the action starting at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, March 23, with coverage on ESPN.
Illinois was a 1.5-point favorite against the No. 9 seed Creighton Bluejays in the first round. They briefly fell behind against Creighton in the first but took an eight-point lead into the second quarter, 18-10. The Bluejays got within four but never regained the lead again. Illinois went on to win 66-57. Texas had a much easier time against their first-round opponent, the No. 16 seed William & Mary Tribe. The Longhorns opened as 45.5-point favorites, closed as 49.5-point favorites, and won by 44 points, 105-61.
Texas had one of the top-scoring teams this season with an average of 79.7 points per game (No. 13 in the nation) and one of the best defensive teams, allowing an average of 56.1 points per game (No. 20). Illinois averaged 71 points per game (No. 82) and allowed 61.5 points per game (No. 105).
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Illinois Fighting Illini vs Texas Longhorns Form
Illinois Fighting Illini and Texas Longhorns Latest Matches
2/6 (33%)
4/6 (67%)
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Illinois Fighting Illini - Texas Longhorns Key Points
- Texas and Illinois have never played.
- Texas advanced to the Elite Eight last season.
- This is the first time Illinois has made it to the second round since 2000; they’ve only been to the Sweet 16 twice (1997, 1998).
- Illinois was 4-5 against ranked teams this season and 0-2 against top ten teams.
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Our Illinois Fighting Illini vs Texas Longhorns Prediction
Illinois is a good team, but they will be out of their league against Texas. The biggest weakness the Longhorns have is its three-point shooting (No. 239, 29.7%). But unless the Illini can build a big enough lead to force Texas to shoot from deep, it will not matter. While Illinois has a good defense, it will not be up to the task against Madison Booker and Taylor Jones. Texas will lead by double digits by the break and cover the spread during the fourth.
Our Illinois vs. Texas Pick: Texas -18.5
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