The No. 1 seed UConn Huskies and the No. 3 seed Illinois Fighting Illini battle in an Elite Eight matchup on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET. UConn is an 8.5-point favorite in the latest Illinois vs. UConn via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 154.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Illinois vs. UConn picks or NCAA Tournament predictions, you need to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine college basketball expert Bob Konarski. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)

A high-volume, seasoned and successful bettor, Konarski joined SportsLine in 2022 and promptly went 116-97-10 on college basketball picks. Konarski heads into the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on a 56-38-2 college basketball run that has netted $100 followers $1,354. Anyone who has followed him is WAY UP!

For Saturday, Konarski has set its sights on the 2024 NCAA Tournament and Illinois vs. UConn. We can tell you he is leaning Under on the point total, and he has also isolated an X-factor that makes one side a must-back! 

Who wins Illinois vs. UConn, and what critical x-factor makes one side hits hard? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from the expert who's 56-38 on college basketball picks!