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Illinois and Pennsylvania play in opening round of NCAA Tournament

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.

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

Hawkeyes are set to play Vanderbilt in a November women’s basketball game in Sioux City, Iowa

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Vanderbilt and Iowa, both ranked in the top 10 late last season, will meet in a women's basketball game early next season in northwest Iowa, the schools announced Tuesday. The neutral-site game is set for Nov. 15 at the Tyson Events Center, which is 290 miles from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Vanderbilt is 4-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes. This will be the teams' first meeting since 1997. The Commodores are expected to return national scoring leader Mikayla Blakes. She averaged 27 points per game and was Southeastern Conference player of the year. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as No. 5 and finished No. 10 with a 29-5 record after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16.
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