Illinois vs. Iowa State: Sportsbook shares how Sweet 16 matchup is being bet

Illinois is looking to get back to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2005. To do that, the 3-seed Illini will have to get past 2-seed Iowa State on Thursday night in a clash of conference tournament champions.

Ahead of tipoff (10:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV), DraftKings Sportsbook shared with Saturday Tradition how the game is being bet.

Oddsmakers are expecting a close game. At publishing time, Illinois is a 1.5-point underdog.

Illinois with the points is priced at -112, meaning a $112 bet would be needed to win $100. Iowa State as a 1.5-point favorite is priced at -108, translating to a $108 bet potentially winning $100.

After a chalky opening weekend, point spread bettors are once again going with the favorite.

As of Thursday morning, Iowa State has been receiving 57% of the spread bets for 63% of the handle (the amount of money in play). Illinois is getting 37% of the bets for 43% of the handle.

Iowa State -1.5 (-108): 57% handle, 63% bets
Illinois +1.5 (+108): 43% handle, 37% bets

Bettors who like Illinois are foregoing the point spread. Unlike the spread, Illinois is the popular pick on the moneyline.

Illinois to win straight up is priced at +100. A $100 bet would win $100 for a $200 payout. Iowa State is priced at -120. An ISU straight-up bettor would need to wager $120 to win $100.

The bet split is 54/46 Illinois. The handle split is even wider for Illinois, at 68/32.

Illinois to win (+100): 68% handle, 54% bets
Iowa State to win (-120): 32% handle, 46% handle

Bettors expecting some scoring

The over/under line for the game is currently set at 147 total points. Leading up to the game, bettors are expecting the teams to exceed that point total.

Over is priced at -112. If 148 points or more are scored, a bet of $112 would win $100. The under is priced at -108, meaning only $108 would need to be wagered to win a Benjamin.

The bet and handle splits are relatively similar for the point total. Over is getting 75% of the bets for 72% of the handle. The under has 25% of bets for 28% of the handle.

Over 147 points (-112): 72% handle, 75% bets
Under 147 points (-108): 28% handle, 25% bets

Ohio online sports betting is live! Saturday Tradition is the spot for fans to get the latest promos and sign-up bonuses at DraftKings!

How they got here

Illinois is on quite the hot streak. The Illini won 4 of 5 to close out the regular season. In the Big Ten Tournament, Illinois defeated Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin for a conference title.

In the NCAA Tournament, Illinois picked a pair of solid wins over 14-seed Morehead State (85-69) and 11-seed Duquesne.

Iowa State ended the regular season with a 65-58 loss to Kansas State. ISU’s first Big 12 Tournament game was a rematch with KSU and the Cyclones won 76-57.

ISU has stayed, beating Baylor and Houston to win the conference tournament. In the Big Dance, Iowa State has posted double-digit wins over 15-seed South Dakota State (82-65) and 7-seed Washington State (67-56).