With the second round of the NCAA Tournament in full swing, there are plenty of intriguing matchups on the docket. At 7:50 p.m. ET on CBS, No. 11 VCU clashes with No. 3 Illinois as a trip to the Round of 16 hangs in the balance.
Following a tremendous regular season and some Big Ten dominance, the Fighting Illini find themselves listed as 10.5-point favorites. Can a feisty Rams team find a way to pull off the upset?
Below, we’ll break down our VCU vs. Illinois prediction and picks for Saturday’s game. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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VCU vs. Illinois Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Despite transitioning from Ryan Odom to Phil Martelli Jr. at head coach, VCU finds itself owning the same 28-7 record year-over-year. That includes an identical 15-3 record in A-10 play, but the overall mark will change based on the outcome of Saturday’s game.
Following a 13-point loss to Saint Louis on February 20, the Rams have won seven consecutive contests. In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, they took down No. 6 seed North Carolina 82-78 and came away with a minor upset.
Illinois, meanwhile, keeps chugging along with head coach Brad Underwood at the helm. The program is 25-8 to date, including a 15-5 record in conference outings.
The Illini kicked off their tourney bracket with a bang, throttling Penn by 35 points and covering the 25.5-point spread for the bout on Thursday.
Since the 1949-50 campaign, these programs have met just once. The result was a convincing victory for Illinois by a final score of 64-46.
VCU vs. Illinois Spread, Over/Under
VCU enters Saturday’s game as 10.5-point underdogs, returning a 5.26x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
Illinois is the favorite with a 1.16x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Illinois Fighting Illini -10.5 (1.81x payout)
- Over/Under: 149.5 (1.81x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Rams 5.26x | Illini 1.16x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
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VCU vs. Illinois Prediction on Spread – 3/21/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your VCU vs. Illinois prediction on spread for Saturday, March 21 on PrizePicks.
- Thus far in the season, Illinois is 16-11 against the spread as a favorite. When serving as the underdog, VCU is an even 3-3.
- According to KenPom, Illinois’ +32.57 net rating is seventh in the entire country. VCU’s solid +18.01 mark is good for 42nd.
- The advantage goes to the Fighting Illini on both ends of the court. Per Bart Torvik, they’re second in adjusted offensive efficiency (132.7) and 24th on defense (99.0) to VCU’s 47th (119.3) and 61st (102.4) ranks, respectively.
- Illinois ranks ninth in power rating against top-50 programs, and VCU is far behind at 95th.
- With VCU sitting 100th in strength of schedule net rating, facing a premier program that’s tried and true could be a significant challenge.
VCU vs. Illinois Picks for PrizePicks Today: 3/21/26
Here are three top VCU vs. Illinois picks to target for Saturday, March 21 on PrizePicks. Player stat projections via PrizePicks are headlined by G Terrence Hill Jr., F David Mirkovic, and G Keaton Wagler.
VCU G Terrence Hill Jr. vs. Illinois Projection: 16.5 Points
- On the year, Hill averages 14.9 points per game. Since the start of February, that number is an even 15.0.
- Hill did go 7-of-10 from beyond the arc against UNC on Thursday but in his last 20 games beforehand, he shot just 29.8% on 6.1 tries each night.
- In seven games against top-50 quality teams, Hill owns an ugly 50.7% effective field goal percentage and a 16.4% turnover rate.
- Illinois’ defense cedes the 11th-lowest points per shot at 1.004.
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Illinois F David Mirkovic vs. VCU Projection: 23.5 Pts + Rebs
- In his debut campaign, Mirkovic puts up 21.8 points and rebounds on a nightly basis. In his last 10 contests, that figure is up to 25.0.
- The native of Montenegro has come alive from 3-point land as of late, canning 39.4% of his attempts in his last 14 games.
- Mirkovic has healthy rebounding rates on both the offensive (10.3%) and defensive (20.3%) boards.
- VCU owns the 112th-ranked 3-point defense (32.9%) and allows 59.3 shots on average (231st).
Illinois G Keaton Wagler vs. VCU Projection: 28.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Thirty-three games into his true freshman season, Wagler puts up 27.3 points, rebounds, and assists each night. That’s held exactly the same in his last 10 games.
- Per CBB Shot Charts, Wagler shoots 34%, 48%, and 46% on 3-pointers from the top of the key, the right wing, and the right corner. Those are VCU’s three weakest defensive hotspots from deep.
- VCU is 172nd in opposing rebounds allowed with 34.6 per game.
- Among all Big Ten players who can match his usage rate of 25.6%, Wagler’s 12.4% turnover clip is eighth-lowest.
Make VCU vs. Illinois Picks on PrizePicks
VCU vs. Illinois picks for the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday are just one of many ways hoops fans can get in on the daily college basketball action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
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