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03/19 03:43 CDT Illinois and Pennsylvania play in opening round of NCAA Tournament Illinois and Pennsylvania play in opening round of NCAA Tournament By The Associated Press Pennsylvania Quakers (18-11, 11-5 Ivy League) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (24-8, 15-6 Big Ten) Greenville, South Carolina; Thursday, 9:25 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Fighting Illini -25.5; over/under is 151.5 BOTTOM LINE: No. 13 Illinois and Pennsylvania square off in the NCAA Tournament first round. The Fighting Illini have gone 15-6 against Big Ten opponents, with a 9-2 record in non-conference play. Illinois averages 8.6 turnovers per game and is 7-2 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents. The Quakers are 11-5 against Ivy League teams. Pennsylvania averages 76.1 points while outscoring opponents by 2.8 points per game. Illinois averages 10.9 made 3-pointers per game, 3.3 more made shots than the 7.6 per game Pennsylvania allows. Pennsylvania averages 8.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 fewer makes per game than Illinois allows. TOP PERFORMERS: Keaton Wagler is scoring 17.9 points per game and averaging 4.8 rebounds for the Fighting Illini. David Mirkovic is averaging 15.6 points and 6.7 rebounds over the last 10 games. Ethan Roberts is averaging 16.9 points for the Quakers. TJ Power is averaging 20 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Fighting Illini: 5-5, averaging 83.8 points, 36.1 rebounds, 15.1 assists, 3.9 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.3 points per game. Quakers: 9-1, averaging 75.6 points, 32.6 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 2.9 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.5 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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