Illinois Fighting Illini (9) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (1) Sun. March 20, 2011 8:40 p.m. EST

Last season the Kansas Jayhawks (1) came into the NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites to go all the way to the Final Four and quite possibly win a National Championship once again in the Bill Self era. Unfortunately, that didn’t turn out to be the case as arguably the best college basketball team in the country fell to Northern Iowa in the second round and became the biggest disappointment in the tournament.

This season Bill Self and his players have a chance to redeem themselves as they have gotten off to a good start with a big win over Boston University and will be looking to keep up their winning ways in the third round against the Illinois Fighting Illini (9). Even though the Fighting Illini were able to pull off the slight upset in their first matchup against the UNLV Rebels, they will be facing another beast entirely in the Kansas Jayhawks (1) who have their eyes on the prize this time around.

It could be argued that like many number one seeds, the Kansas Jayhawks (1) have their sights set on the better teams in the Southwest Region like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2) and the Purdue Boilermakers (3), but after last season’s disaster in the NCAA Tournament they are taking it one game at a time and considering the Fighting Illini to be their toughest challenge of the season.

As of right now, the Kansas Jayhawks (1) have been given the edge in this matchup with a -5 point spread in their favor. I believe this point spread is very low and something that should be taken advantage of as I see the Jayhawks coming out with a big win over the Fighting Illini.

The online sportsbook odds for this matchup are:

Bodog Sportsbook:
Spread: Illinois Fighting Illini +8.5 & Kansas Jayhawks -8.5
Moneyline: Illinois Fighting Illini +325 & Kansas Jayhawks -450
Over/Under: Illinois Fighting Illini 110 Kansas Jayhawks 110 under (146)

BetDSI Sportsbook:
Spread: Illinois Fighting Illini +8 & Kansas Jayhawks -8
Moneyline: Illinois Fighting Illini +355 & Kansas Jayhawks -425
Over/Under: Illinois Fighting Illini 110 Kansas Jayhawks 110 under (146.5)

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