March Madness betting in the next few weeks is going to see teams on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. One of those teams is Illinois. Right now the Illini might not even be on the bubble so they have work to do in March Madness odds to make the NCAA Tournament.
March Madness betting includes 65 teams, 34 of which are going to get at-large bids. Teams can also get an automatic bid by winning their conference tournament and Illinois might be forced into that position. The Illini really hurt their chances on Saturday, losing 62-60 to Minnesota. Illinois coach Bruce Weber knows that his team needs to win down the stretch to make it.
“We have a tough schedule here,” Weber said, “We have kept our head above water. Every team we’ll play in the last eight games has been in the top 25 at some point. And six of those games will be against teams ranked in the top 15 or 18. “It’s been a tough stretch, but now the shark has us by the leg and is pulling us down. It’s not going to be easy. We have to see if we can survive it.”
Illinois is a tough team to figure out heading into March Madness odds. They have lost two straight at home and looked bad in the process. The Illini are capable of beating anyone but they have proven they can lose to anyone. That is not the March Madness betting resume of a tournament team. “We try not to put too much pressure on ourselves, but at some point we have to realize what we’re playing for,” Illinois’ Bill Cole said.
Illinois plays at Ohio State and hosts Wisconsin so they can improve their March Madness betting resume. The Illini might have to win at least one of those games and at least one game in the Big 10 Tournament to have a chance to make the big dance. Illinois has not proven they are consistent enough to win down the stretch. Not only is Illinois a debatable tournament team, they are not a good team against the spread. They are just 12-16 against the spread this season and that also doesn’t help their chances. Illinois has a good head coach in Weber and past experience but to make it in March Madness betting they are going to need to at least split their last two games and win one and perhaps two games in the Big 10 tournament.