Houston vs. Illinois Dunkel Predictions & Vegas Odds - Sweet 16

A Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament matchup between the No. 2 Houston Cougars (30-6) and No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini (26-8) will determine one of the squads heading to the South Region bracket final when it tips off on Thursday at Toyota Center, beginning at 10:05 p.m. ET, airing on TBS. Sportsbooks think Houston will emerge victorious in this one, naming the as 2.5-point favorites. The matchup has an over/under of 139.5 points.

Houston heads into this contest after an 88-57 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday. Emanuel Sharp put up 18 points, four rebounds and zero assists for Houston. Illinois' last contest on Saturday ended in a 76-55 win over VCU. Andrej Stojakovic scored 21 points in Illinois' win, leading the team.

Houston vs. Illinois Odds and Game Time

• When: Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 10:05 p.m. ET
• Where: Toyota Center in Houston, Texas
• Spread favorite: Houston -2.5
• Moneyline favorite: Houston -163
• Moneyline underdog: Illinois +132
• Over/Under: 139.5 points

How to watch Houston vs. Illinois

• TV Channel: TBS
• Check out the rest of our Dunkel Index NCAA Basketball Picks!

Betting the Over/Under: Houston vs. Illinois

• Houston and its opponents have combined to outscore Thursday's total of 139.5 points 16 times this season.
• This season, 25 of Illinois' games have ended with a combined score higher than 139.5 points.
• The total for the matchup of 139.5 is 22.7 points fewer than the combined points per game averages for the Cougars (77.5 points per game) and the Fighting Illini (84.7 points per game).
• This game's point total is 7.8 fewer points than the 131.7 these two teams combine to give up per game in 2024.
• Houston has seen a 139.7 average over/under in its games this season, 0.2 points more than the over/under in this contest.
• Illinois' games have an average over/under of 154.1 points this season, 14.6 more points than the over/under for this game.

Betting the Spread: Houston vs. Illinois

• Houston has 18 wins against the spread in 36 games this year.
• The Cougars are 17-14 ATS when favored by 2.5 points or more this season.
• Illinois has played 34 games, with 20 wins against the spread.
• This season, the Fighting Illini have one ATS win in two games as an underdog of 2.5 points or more.
• Houston is 9-7 against the spread, and 15-1 overall, at home this year.
• As a 2.5-point favorite or greater at home, Houston is 9-7 ATS.
• In away games, Illinois is 8-2 overall and 6-4 against the spread.
• This year, as 2.5-point underdogs or more away from home, Illinois is 3-3 ATS.

Betting the Moneyline: Houston vs. Illinois

• Houston has won 26, or 86.7%, of the 30 games it has played as the moneyline favorite this season.
• The Cougars have a record of 25-2, a 92.6% win rate, when favored by -163 or more by sportsbooks this season.
• The bookmakers' moneyline implies a 62% chance of a victory for Houston.
• Illinois has been victorious in three of the six contests it has been chosen as a moneyline underdog in this season.
• The Fighting Illini have been listed as an underdog of +132 or more on two occasions this season and split those games.
• Oddsmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that Illinois has a 43.1% chance of pulling out a win.