Arkansas and Illinois meet in first round of NCAA Tournament

Published Mar. 16, 2023 3:42 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Illinois Fighting Illini (20-12, 11-9 Big Ten) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (20-13, 8-10 SEC)

Des Moines, Iowa; Thursday, 4:30 p.m. EDT

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Arkansas -2; over/under is 144

BOTTOM LINE: The Arkansas Razorbacks play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Razorbacks' record in SEC play is 8-10, and their record is 12-3 in non-conference play. Arkansas is fourth in the SEC scoring 74.4 points while shooting 47.6% from the field.

The Fighting Illini are 11-9 in Big Ten play. Illinois is 0-1 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 12.4 turnovers per game.

TOP PERFORMERS: Davonte Davis averages 1.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Razorbacks, scoring 10.5 points while shooting 34.4% from beyond the arc. Ricky Council IV is averaging 15.9 points over the last 10 games for Arkansas.

Terrence Shannon Jr. is averaging 17.1 points for the Fighting Illini. Matthew Mayer is averaging 15.8 points over the last 10 games for Illinois.

LAST 10 GAMES: Razorbacks: 4-6, averaging 74.5 points, 30.4 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 8.2 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.4 points per game.

Fighting Illini: 4-6, averaging 73.9 points, 34.0 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 6.1 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.