NCAA Tournament Picks: Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Colorado Buffaloes

The Illinois Fighting Illini compiled a 13-1 record versus non-conference opponents this season, which is important to consider when making your NCAA basketball picks Friday night as they get ready to play the Colorado Buffaloes at the Erwin Center.

Sports bettors will find that the Fighting Illini are 1.5-point neutral-site favorites in the college basketball odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total sits at 127.

Let's take a closer look at this second-round matchup in the East Region from a betting perspective, while offering up a prediction on the total.

Illinois Fighting Illini

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 8-18 against the spread in their last 26 neutral-site games, which includes a 80-64 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers as 10-point underdogs in the Big Ten tournament last Friday.

Over the last two-plus seasons, the Fighting Illini have gone 4-9 in the month of March, with the UNDER going 7-6 in that situation.

Colorado Buffaloes

The Colorado Buffaloes are making back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 50 years.

Sports bettors will find that the Buffaloes were 4-1 against the spread on a neutral floor this season, with the OVER going 3-1 in that situation. 

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers play the total as one of their NCAA tournament picks Friday, as the OVER is 5-1 in Illinois' six neutral-site games this season.

NCAA Basketball Pick: Over 127

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