The Hawkeyes will play the Fighting Illini on Saturday, March 28th, 2026. Your timezone's tip off time is 6:09 pm EDT. Check local listings or your nearest streaming app for coverage.
Review our College Basketball Betting guide to learn how to bet this game.
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Table of Contents
- Matchup Stats
- Moneyline Mage
- Best Odds
- Interactive Odds Example
- Prop Bets
- Team Standings
- Futures Odds
- Team Pages
- Other Games Today
Key Matchup Stats
The 2025-26 college basketball postseason has arrived. With tournament action on the docket, Iowa and Illinois are set to tip-off on Saturday, March 28th, 2026. Here's your chance to partake in March Madness! The end of the regular season has left us with solid trends for each team. Use the following performance insights and stats to handicap what promises to be an exciting matchup.
- SportsBetting3.com Power Rankings - Iowa wound up with a 96.00 SportsBetting3.com conference power ranking for the 2025-26 college basketball regular season, while Illinois finished with a 98.00 power ranking.
- Away Records - Tournament games are typically played at neutral venues, which means both teams are away from their home courts. Iowa comes to this matchup with a 3-8 record as an away team, ranking them 7th in the Big Ten Conference for away team wins. Their opponent, Illinois, finished the regular season with a 8-2 record as an away team, ranking them 2nd in the Big Ten Conference for away team wins.
- Conference Win Percentage - Iowa finished 6th (0.500) in the Big Ten Conference, with Illinois ending up 2nd (0.750) for their conference win percentage in the 2025 Big Ten Conference.
- Overall Win Percentage - Iowa had a 0.667 regular season overall win percentage, with Illinois notching a 0.771 overall win percentage at the end of the 2025-26 regular season.
- Team Records - Iowa tallied a 24-12 regular season overall record. Meanwhile, Illinois put together a 27-8 standing for 2025-26 college basketball regular season.
Moneyline Mage
Spelling out the winners with humor since the middle ages.
Hocus pocus, Iowa and Illinois clash on court Saturday in March Madness.
Iowa 24-12 overall, Illinois 27-8 overall, who will prevail in battle?
Iowa 10-10 Big Ten standing, Illinois 15-5 Big Ten standing, fierce competition ahead.
NCAA single-elimination format, only one team will emerge victorious, advancing forward.
The tables below have the best point spread lines, total lines, and moneylines for this matchup. Bet on March Madness games at BetRivers and BetMGM. Review this matchup's prop bets below.
Best Hawkeyes at Fighting Illini Odds
| Underdog Iowa | Favorite Illinois |
|---|---|
| Over | Under |
|---|---|
| Underdog Iowa | Favorite Illinois |
|---|---|
Matchup Odds FAQs
Illinois is a -7.5 -102 point spread favorite at BetMGM, while Iowa is a +7.5 -118 point spread underdog at BetMGM.
The best over line is 138.5 -115 points at BetMGM, which means you risk $115 to win $100 betting the over. The best under line is 138.5 -105 points at BetMGM, and that means you risk $105 to win $100 betting the under.
Illinois is a -325 moneyline favorite at BetMGM and Iowa is a +260 moneyline underdog at BetMGM.
College Basketball Odds Example
|
Game |
 BetMGMBet |
|---|---|
Iowa
Illinois
3/28/26 6:09pm EDT | +7.5 -118-7.5 -102 |
Underdog Iowa - Iowa bettors risk $100 to win $84.75 at -118 odds.
A +7.5 Iowa underdog bet wins if they lose by 7 or fewer, tie, or win outright. Your bet loses if they lose by 8 or more.
Favorite Illinois - Illinois bettors risk $100 to win $98.04 at -102 odds.
A -7.5 Illinois favorite bet wins if they win by 8 or more. Your bet loses if they win by 7 or fewer, tie, or lose outright.
Iowa at Illinois Prop Bets
Important Note: Some states expressly forbid individual college athlete prop bets. The following wagers may not be available depending on your particular state laws.
| BetMGM Bet |
|
|---|---|
Iowa
Illinois
First to 5 Points
3/28/26 6:09pm EDT | +105-145Bet |
Iowa
Illinois
First to 10 Points
3/28/26 6:09pm EDT | +118-160Bet |
Iowa
Illinois
First to 15 Points
3/28/26 6:09pm EDT | +125-175Bet |
Iowa
Illinois
Game to Overtime
3/28/26 6:09pm EDT | Yes +875No -5000Bet |
Team Standings
| Team | W-L | Win% | Home | Away | Conf | CGB | Conf% | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #5 Illinois | 28-9 | 0.757 | 14-3 | 8-2 | 15-5 | +4 | 0.750 | L1 |
| #15 Iowa | 24-13 | 0.649 | 15-3 | 3-8 | 10-10 | +9 | 0.500 | L1 |
Iowa & Illinois Futures Odds
Latest College Basketball Championship odds, if available, for each team. Review March Madness odds for other teams and learn how to bet on the college basketball tournament. Also be sure to read Ron Halfback's Final Four write-up.
Iowa Championship OddsNo NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament TM Iowa YR: futures available
Illinois Championship OddsNo NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament TM Illinois YR: futures available
Iowa & Illinois Team Pages
Review each team's futures odds, betting bonuses, current standings and other valuable information on our exclusive team betting odds pages. Team betting odds and stats update throughout the season:
How to Bet on the Game
Time needed: 4 minutes.
How to Bet on the Iowa vs Illinois College Basketball Game
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Open a new sports betting account before game time.
Review our list of sports betting sites. Open a new account before the game starts on Saturday, March 28th, 2026 at 6:09 pm EDT, making sure to enter all your personal details correctly. Don't forget to add your bonus code.
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Visit the sportsbook’s cashier, banking, or deposit page.
Navigate to the sportsbook's deposit page. Use your Visa card or MasterCard, or deposit with a bank transfer, or other methods like Paypal.
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Tap to the sportsbook's College Basketball page, look for the Iowa vs Illinois Game.
Navigate to the sportsbook's College Basketball page. Next, look for live or upcoming matchups. Select the Iowa vs Illinois Game.
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Choose your bet and place a wager.
Choose your bet and then use the funds you deposited to place a wager. The sportsbook will pay your winnings or deduct a losing wager from your account balance after the game.
Other March 28, 2026 NCAABB Games
- Purdue vs Arizona - 3/28/26 8:49pm EDT