Illinois at Kansas

No. 1 seeds have lost to No. 9 seeds just four times out of 56 games since 1985. So, don't expect an upset here. But, I do like Illinois to cover the spread. Kansas is a tough matchup for any one. The Morris twins are beasts who can score from anywhere on the court including beyond the arc. They clear the boards with an attitude. Their Achille's heel is at the line and that could make a difference in covering a large spread. Kansas remains a very young team and as they get deeper into the tourney, that could cause some issues. Illinois is coming into this game with a lot of confidence. They upset UNLV in round one, winning by 11 but that game was over by halftime. This team has suffered 13 losses, but look at who they came to: Texas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio State (twice), Purdue (twice), Michigan State, Michigan. All in all they played 17 games against NCAA Tourney teams, and won half of them. That includes wins over North Carolina, Gonzaga and Wisconsin. If Kansas plays their best game, they can cover this. But, if their youth gets to them, or the Morris twins spend a lot of time on the free throw line, Illinois should cover.