MARCH MADNESS BEST BETS: 2026 Elite 8 DAY ONE

WHERE THERE IS UNITY THERE IS ALWAYS VICTORY

Iowa vs Illinois(-6.5)

Purdue vs Arizona(-6.5)

MCBB Best Bet Season Record: 79-52-0

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THE ELITE 8 IS STARTING UP LET'S WIN THE DAY WITH A COUPLE OF BEST BETS

Iowa vs Illinois(-6.5)

DK -126

FD -120

As this is a matchup I did not have, here are my thoughts on it. Iowa is a great story and are full of high basketball IQ players that make their shots and dictate the pace of the game. All of this is great. The issue is that Illinois is huge. I know that the Hawkeyes overcame a size mismatch against Florida but I think that had more to do with the lack of good guard play from Florida than the raw size disadvantage.

The Illini just out rebounded the Houston Cougars. If they can do that they can bully the Hawkeyes. Not to mention that they use the shot clock the way Iowa does and are very comfortable playing at slow pace.

Purdue vs Arizona(-6.5)

DK -105

FD -105

This is an elite 8 matchup I had predicted and you can listen to the reasoning here and here. The Long and Short of it? Arizona is too good on offense and scores at will on anybody and Purdue can't defend at a high enough level to stop them.

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