Kentucky and Illinois square off in second round of NCAA Tournament

Illinois Fighting Illini (22-12, 13-9 Big Ten) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (23-11, 11-9 SEC)

Milwaukee; Sunday, 5:15 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Fighting Illini -1.5; over/under is 170.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 18 Kentucky squares off against Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats have gone 11-9 against SEC opponents, with a 12-2 record in non-conference play. Kentucky is sixth in college basketball averaging 85.0 points and is shooting 48.2% from the field.

The Fighting Illini are 13-9 against Big Ten opponents. Illinois averages 11.4 turnovers per game and is 8-0 when winning the turnover battle.

Kentucky scores 85.0 points, 10.4 more per game than the 74.6 Illinois gives up. Illinois averages 9.4 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.9 more makes per game than Kentucky allows.

TOP PERFORMERS: Koby Brea averages 2.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Wildcats, scoring 11.5 points while shooting 44.1% from beyond the arc. Otega Oweh is averaging 16.4 points and 1.6 steals over the last 10 games.

Ben Humrichous averages 1.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Fighting Illini, scoring 7.8 points while shooting 34.3% from beyond the arc. Will Riley is averaging 14.9 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Wildcats: 6-4, averaging 82.1 points, 32.6 rebounds, 15.4 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 80.2 points per game.

Fighting Illini: 6-4, averaging 80.8 points, 34.3 rebounds, 15.1 assists, 3.8 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.1 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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