Duke is Already -3.5 Favorite vs. Illinois in Final Four

Written by :

Don Shapiro

Published on :

29 March, 2026

Why wait to find out who Duke will face in the Final Four before you bet on the Blue Devils?

And that's assuming they even get in.

Some bookmakers have posted a line on Duke as the -3.5 facing Illinois.

Duke plays UConn Sunday afternoon where the Blue Devils were coming in as a -6.5 favorite.

The Blue Devils have gone 20-1 against ACC teams, with a 15-1 record in non-conference play. Duke is ninth in college basketball with 26.6 defensive rebounds per game led by Cameron Boozer averaging 7.0.

The Huskies are 19-4 in Big East play. UConn leads the Big East giving up just 65.0 points per game while holding opponents to 40.2% shooting.

Duke averages 81.9 points, 16.9 more per game than the 65.0 UConn allows. UConn averages 13.8 more points per game (77.2) than Duke allows (63.4).

Illinois punched their ticket to the Final Four Saturday evening, marking their first Final Four appearance in 21 years.

“I don’t want anybody to think this is it,” Andrej Stojakovic said. “We didn’t get to the Final Four just to get there. We’re coming to win two more games.”

Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 25 points and Illinois ended Iowa's underdog March Madness run by dominating in the frontcourt, beating the Hawkeyes 71-59 on Saturday to end a Final Four drought that dated to 2005.

“It’s better than I dreamt it would ever be,” coach Brad Underwood said. “Thirty-nine years in the business and that’s all I’m going to say about my side of this. This is about these guys.”

This will be the sixth trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Illini will face either Duke or UConn next weekend in Indianapolis.

“This is what kids dream of,” said Wagler, who was named the South Region's Most Outstanding Player. “I know I dreamed of this when I was growing up, playing in the Final Four, competing for a national championship. To be able to do it with the people around me, teammates, coaches, fans, managers, everyone, it means a lot ... but we’re not done yet.”