Illinois vs. Houston

No. 3 seed Illinois prefers to run but will find the going tough against a Houston squad that is difficult to speed up. Illinois has failed to cover its last two as an underdog, including an 84-70 home loss to Michigan as a +1.5 dog. No. 2 seed Houston catches a break, playing at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston. The Cougars rank No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense, and they're a terrific rebounding team. Houston allows 62.2 points per game and has been even better in the tournament, allowing an average of 52 points. The Cougars also rank No. 13 in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. Play Houston.