Xavier vs. Illinois Prediction: Illinois Predicted to Win March Madness First Round Matchup [3/21/2025]

Illinois will square off with Xavier in March Madness First Round action at Fiserv Forum on Friday, commencing at 9:45PM ET.

Based on the latest simulation results, Dimers' proven college basketball model (see Dimers Pro for full access) predicts Illinois as the most likely winner of today's game.

Check the latest March Madness bracket projections and 2025 NCAA Championship probabilities from our expert team.

"Employing the latest data, our experts simulated Friday's Xavier-Illinois game 10,000 times," said Dimers' Chief Content Officer, Nick Slade.

"After computing the latest updates and thousands of other inputs, we predict Illinois' chance of winning is 64%, while Xavier's is 36%."

For further insights into Friday's matchup, including an expanded look at the predicted score, best bets and picks, visit our interactive Xavier vs. Illinois predictions page.

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Xavier vs. Illinois Prediction: Who Will Win and Advance to the Second Round?

Using trusted machine learning and data analysis, we have simulated the result of Friday's NCAA Tournament game between Xavier and Illinois 10,000 times as part of our March Madness predictions coverage.

Our leading predictive model gives Illinois a 64% chance of defeating Xavier. Our predicted final score has Illinois winning 82-78.

According to our model, Xavier (+4.5) has a 51% chance of covering the spread, while the over/under total of 162.5 points has a 51% chance of staying under.

Xavier vs. Illinois March Madness Odds

We have sourced the best March Madness odds in America for this First Round game, which are listed here:

Bet Type	Xavier	Illinois
Spread	+4.5 (-110)	-4.5 (-110)
Moneyline	+165	-194
Total	o162.5 (-115)	u162.5 (-105)

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Boost your betting this month with the top March Madness betting sites and March Madness betting promos, sourced from top sportsbooks and DFS operators.

Xavier vs. Illinois Picks and Best Bets

Our model's strongest edge in today's Xavier vs. Illinois matchup is on the spread.

Our expert predictions, aligned with the latest odds, reveal the best March Madness picks and March Madness best bets for every game throughout the tournament.

Unlimited access to our full suite of picks, including this one, is available via Dimers Pro.

Xavier vs. Illinois Game-Day Updates and Essential Details

Friday's college basketball matchup between Illinois and Xavier at Fiserv Forum is scheduled to commence at 9:45PM ET.

• Who: Xavier vs. Illinois
• Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
• Time: 9:45PM ET/6:45PM PT
• Venue: Fiserv Forum
• March Madness Stage: First Round

Dimers.com's full preview of Friday's Xavier vs. Illinois matchup includes our prediction, picks and the latest betting odds.

Before making any Xavier vs. Illinois picks, be sure to check out the latest March Madness predictions and betting advice from Dimers Pro.

Key March Madness Guides and Insights

• Learn about NCAA Championship history and the lowest-seeded team to ever win March Madness
• Get answers to legal questions, including which states you can legally bet on college sports and the minimum age required to place a bet on March Madness
• A breakdown of March Madness futures bets and popular prop bets for the NCAA tournament
• Explore strategy with guides on identifying value bets during the tournament and betting on individual player awards like Tournament MVP
• Understand the tournament format, including how many games are played in March Madness and how venue locations impact teams when playing at neutral sites

Conclusion

We predict Illinois, with a 64% win probability, will likely beat Xavier on Friday.

AI and automation have enhanced this article to quickly deliver accurate Xavier vs. Illinois insights, with human oversight ensuring high editorial quality. Our predictions are based on up-to-date data to help you make informed decisions. For additional resources and advice on responsible gambling, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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