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The following NCAA Basketball Illinois vs. Texas betting odds and preview are courtesy of Sportsbook.com where they currently have a line ofTexas +3.5, O/U 139.5
After disappointing 2009-10 campaigns, which included a one-and-done in the NCAA Tournament, and a third-round NIT loss, Texas and Illinois are on a mission to prove that last season was a speed bump, and this season will be the express lane that will take them deep into the big dance.
The Fighting Illini returned all five starters from last season’s team, are off to a 3-0 start and are showing several good signs early this season. The guard trio of Demetri McCamey, D.J. Richardson, and Brandon Paul are shooting a combined 47.4% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Illini as a team is shooting over 54% FG on the season. Head coach Bruce Weber has been impressed with his team’s defense, as Illinois is holding its opponents to just 36% shooting from the field. On the interior of that defense, senior center Mike Tisdale is averaging 7.7 RPG to go with 2.3 BPG.
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The college basketball betting crowd over at Sportsbook.com think Illinois is the way to bet as an overwhelming 92 percent of the cash is on the Illini.
Texas head coach Rick Barnes spent much of the offseason revamping the Longhorns’ offense. Now he has put that new offense in the hands of the new kids on the block in Austin, freshman point guard Cory Joseph and fellow freshman Tristan Thompson. In the November 10 victory over Louisiana Tech, Joseph had eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Meanwhile, all Thompson did was tack on 17 points coming off the bench. Between the two freshmen, and sophomore Jordan Hamilton, who is averaging 22.5 PPG thru two games, the new offense seems to be working well.
Expect Texas to get a major test from the length of Tisdale, Mike Davis and the rest of the Illinois defense. In the backcourt, the challenge of the young Texas guards going against the experienced shooting trio of McCamey, Richardson and Paul from Illinois should be an equally intriguing match-up. Seeing it all play out on the Madison Square Garden stage will be a fitting backdrop for two teams who want nothing to do with returning to the Garden in March for that "other" postseason tournament.
