East #2 UConn will meet South #3 Illinois in the Final Four
The Illini have opened as favorites after a stunning Elite Eight win
See the opening UConn vs Illinois odds for the 2026 Final Four
An absurd second-half comeback by the #2 UConn Huskies against Duke on Sunday night has set up a Final Four matchup against the South Region champion #3 Illinois Fighting Illini (28-8 SU, 22-14 ATS).
The 2026 Final Four will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis next Saturday, April 4th. The early game will tip-off at 6:00 pm ET with the second semifinal at 8:30 pm ET.
The Illini are 2.5-point favorites in the opening UConn vs Illinois odds.
Illinois vs UConn Odds (Final Four)
| Bet Type | Illinois | UConn |
|---|---|---|
| Spread | -2.5 (-102) | +2.5 (-120) |
| ML | -134 | +112 |
| Total | O 139.5 (-110) | U 139.5 (-110) |
FanDuel’s opening line also lists Illinois as a -134 moneyline favorite with UConn +112 to reach the national championship. The game total has opened at 139.5 with -110 odds both ways.
At prediction site Kalshi, Illinois is trading at 55¢ to reach the national title game, which is de facto the same market as the Final Four moneyline. A 55¢ price is equal to a -125 moneyline. Illinois is trading at 47¢, equal to +113 odds.
Prediction Markets
Qualify for Title Game
Learn more about Prediction Markets
Kalshi
Illinois
54%
UConn
47%
Predict
Lookahead line from FanDuel on March 29th. See the opening Arizona vs Michigan odds for the other Final Four game.
In the latest March Madness championship odds, the Illini are trading at 19¢ at Kalshi (equal to +426 odds). UConn is trading at just 12¢ (equal to +733 odds).
The other two national semifinalists – West #1 Arizona and Midwest #1 Michigan – are the top-two betting favorites at 36¢ (+178) and 34¢ (+194), respectively.
UConn vs ILL H2H Stats
| UConn | Stat | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| 32-5 | Record | 28-8 |
| 76.9 | PPG | 83.8 |
| 65.1 | Opp PPG | 68.7 |
| 48.1% | FG% | 46.4% |
| 34.5% | 3P% | 34.8% |
| 72.0% | FT% | 78.0% |
| 32.9 | RPG | 37.6 |
| 10.0 | ORPG | 12.0 |
| 18.3 | APG | 14.5 |
| 10.2 | TOPG | 8.4 |
| 6.9 | SPG | 3.8 |
| 5.3 | BPG | 4.6 |
| 23.5 | 3PA/G | 30.7 |
| 17.5 | FTA/G | 20.4 |
| 35.8 | Paint PPG | 33.3 |
The Illini reached the Final Four – their first since 2005 – with routs of #14 Penn (105-70 as 25.5-point favorites), #11 VCU (76-55 as 11.5-point favorites), #2 Houston (65-55 as 2.5-point underdogs), and #9 Iowa (71-59 as 6.5-point favorites).
They are 4-0 ATS in the tournament and 1-3 O/U.
UConn found itself trailing by 15 at halftime (44-29) on Sunday against Duke in the Elite Eight before mounting a comeback that defies words. Braylon Mullins hit the winning three with 0.4 seconds on the clock to give UConn it’s only lead of the second half.
BRAYLON MULLINS FOR THE LEAD 🤯🤯🤯pic.twitter.com/b0f52hEcyT
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 29, 2026
UConn’s first three wins of the tournament were considerably more convincing: 82-71 over #15 Furman, 73-57 over #7 UCLA, and 67-63 over #3 Michigan State.
UConn is 3-1 ATS and 2-2 O/U in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Bookmark SBD’s college basketball odds to see how the Final Four lines move over the course of the week.