Penn Quakers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 3/19/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Penn Quakers vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026

Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Penn (+24)

Bon Secours Wellness Arena is the site where the Illinois Fighting Illini (24-8) will take on the Penn Quakers (18-11) on Thursday in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. Illinois opens as 24-point favorites from oddsmakers. The betting total comes in at 151.

The Penn Quakers took the court against Yale and walked away with a win by a score of 88-84 in their last game. Penn ended the game having earned a 45.3% FG percentage (29 of 64) and made 14 out of their 28 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Quakers converted 16 of their 16 shots for a rate of 100.0%. With respect to rebounding, they earned a total of 33 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 17 assists for this game as well as creating 8 turnovers and having 5 steals. With respect to the defense, Penn allowed 43.7% from the field on 31 out of 71 shooting. Yale earned 23 assists and had 9 steals in the game. Furthermore, Yale grabbed 36 boards (15 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Yale ended up shooting 76.5% at the charity stripe by burying 13 of 17 tries. They knocked down 9 of 24 shots from distance. In regard to fouls, the Quakers finished with 16 and Yale had 16 fouls.

TJ Power is someone who was a factor in this contest. He finished the contest at 53.8% from the field and also earned 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 43 minutes and also snagged 14 boards. He finished with 44 points on 14 of 26 shooting.

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Penn heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 18-11 for the year. They have an average of 76.1 points per outing (169th in Division 1) while going 44.0% from the field. The Quakers are shooting 38.6% on shots from 3-point land (234 of 606) and 69.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Penn is grabbing 36.4 boards per game and has totaled 405 dimes on the season, which is 280th in the nation in terms of passing. They turn it over 10.8 times per game and as a unit are committing 16.6 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Quakers are able to force 12.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 165th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 427 relinquished so far this season. Quakers defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 45.1% (791 of 1,754) and they surrender 36.1 boards per contest as a team. They concede 31.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 163rd in D-1 in points per game allowed (73.3).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Illinois Fighting Illini went home defeated by a final of 91-88 against Wisconsin. The Fighting Illini earned 27 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards totaling 34 for the matchup. They also turned it over 6 times, while recording 1 steal for the contest. Wisconsin committed 19 fouls for the contest which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for a total of 15 shots. They were able to convert 9 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 60.0%. In the matter of 3-point shots, Illinois made 9 of their 31 tries (29.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Illini shot 35 for 70 from the field which gave them a rate of 50.0%. The Fighting Illini allowed Wisconsin to make 28 out of their 66 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 42.4% for this game. They wrapped up this game 24.4% from distance by going 10 out of 41 and ended up going 25 of 30 from the free throw line (83.3%). With respect to how they rebounded, Illinois allowed Wisconsin to grab 36 in total (11 offensive).

David Mirkovic ended up being a major contributor for the Fighting Illini for this contest. He tallied 19 points in his 36 mins on the court and added 5 assists for the contest. He knocked down 8 of 13 for the contest giving him a rate of 61.5%, and had 5 rebounds.

Illinois has a record of 24-8 on the season. As an offensive unit, the Fighting Illini are shooting 46.3% from the floor, which ranks 111th in college. Illinois has scored 2,700 points this season (84.4 per contest) and they grab 40.7 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 14.7 times per game (124th in D-1) and they are turning it over 8.9 times per contest. The Fighting Illini have committed 13.4 fouls per game and they shoot 78.9% from the free throw line.

The Illinois defense gives up 31.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (268 of 854) and their opposition knocks down 73.4% of their foul shots. They give up 13.3 dimes and 31.1 boards per game, which is ranked 181st and 25th in college. The Fighting Illini on the defensive side of the court are 69th in Division 1 in PPG allowed with 69.8. They have forced 7.8 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 41.0% from the floor (36th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Penn (+24)

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