On Thursday, either Iowa State or Illinois will get one step closer to their dream of making the 2024 Final Four.
The No. 2-seed Cyclones and No. 3 Fighting Illini will square off at TD Garden in Boston in a Sweet 16 matchup in the 2024 NCAA Tournament’s east region. The winner will move on to the Elite Eight, where it is expected to meet top overall seed and reigning national champion UConn in March Madness.
Unranked in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and picked to finish seventh in the 14-team Big 12 in the league’s preseason poll, Iowa State enters the game with a 29-7 record, the second-most wins in a season in program history . With one more victory, it would advance to its first Elite Eight since 2000.
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Although Illinois came into the season with higher expectations than its opponent Thursday, its spot in the Sweet 16 isn’t any less notable. This is the furthest the Fighting Illini have advanced in the NCAA Tournament since 2005, when it was the tournament’s top overall seed and made it to the national championship game, where it lost to North Carolina.
Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Iowa State and Illinois:
Sweet 16 odds for Iowa State vs. Illinois
Iowa State is a 2.5-point favorite over Illinois, according to odds from BetMGM.
All odds are as of Sunday, March 24.
- Spread: Iowa State (-2.5)
- Over/under: 146.5 points
- Moneyline: Iowa State (-145); Illinois (+120)
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How to watch Iowa State vs. Illinois: Time, TV channel, streaming info
- When: Thursday, March 28
- Where: TD Garden, Boston
- TV channel: TBD
- Streaming: TBD
- How to watch: TBD
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