OMAHA, Neb. — Most of the current Illinois basketball players were toddlers the last time Illinois made a Sweet 16. Some of them were just babies when Dee, Deron, Luther, Roger, Augie and the No. 1 seed Illini defeated No. 9 seed Nevada 71-59 for a Sweet 16 berth on their way to a national championship runner-up appearance.
No one then knew thatIllinois would go almost two full decades without another second-weekend NCAA Tournament appearance. Along the way were disappointing second-round losses in 2006 (Illinois lost 67-64 to Washington), 2013 (63-59 loss to No. 2 seed Miami) and 2021 (the most painful of all as No. 1 seed Illinois lost 71-58 to No. 8 seed Loyola-Chicago).
Suffice to say, the Illini fan base is starving for a taste of Sweetness.
“So am I,” Illini coach Brad Underwood said. “It's really hard, but you know…”
The weight of 19 years without a second weekend in the NCAA Tournament isn’tthe fault of these Illini, of course. But the No. 3 seed Illini have the chance with Saturday’s 7:40 p.m. CT tipoff against No. 11 Duquesne to leave a legacy as the program's Sweet 16 streak breaker — and to do more beyond that.
Back-to-back games against double-digit seeds seems to provide the Illini, who defeated No. 14 seed Morehead State 85-69 on Thursday, with their best opportunity to break through.The Illini(27-8) are 10-pointfavoritesagainst the Dukes (25-11).
But the Illini know that if they let their minds focus on next week that their season might not last into next week. After all, the Dukes are red-hot, riding the nation's fourth-longest active win streak (nine games) in to Saturday's matchup.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Illini junior forward Luke Goode said. “We don't necessarily talk about that as much. That's more something kind of other people talk about. We just look at it as another game, another opportunity to win a game. …We haven't really thought of records or anything like that or kind of the history of Illinois. It's more just like we've got to focus on us, get ready for Duquesne, who is a great basketball team, and take advantage of this opportunity.”
Added Illini senior forward Coleman Hawkins: “I don't think it's really something we pay attention to. I think it's more so the fans and people who love Illinois who want to see the program do great kind of nagging and pulling that second weekend. Like Luke said, we're just focused on the next game, and this next game is Duquesne. Focusing on that and not focusing and trying to get ahead. I think if we go out and play hard, we'll have a good chance of playing that next”
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Underwood himself has never been the head coach of a Sweet 16 team. He’s brought Illinois back to the Big Ten’s top tier. He’s brought Illinois back to the brink ofMaybe his third time of coaching Illinois in the Second Round will be a charm.
When asked about the possibility of this team ending the drought, Underwood paused as if in actual thought about the sweet possibility of advancing to play next weekend in an East Regional semifinal in Boston.
Butthe Illini head coach didn’t want tomess with fate and discuss that possibility. Not yet.
“If we're fortunate enough tomorrow, ask me [what that will mean] then. I’ll tell you then,” Underwood told Illini Inquirer. “Not getting too far ahead.”
Dukes ready for a fight
Duquesne didn’t get to the Round of 32 through a lack of confidence. They didn’t rebound from a 9-8 start to the season (0-5 in Atlantic 10 play) to win 16 of 19 games, including a current nine-game win streak, without some toughness.
So while Illinois is the more talented team and a 10-point favorite entering Saturday’s second-round NCAA Tournament game, the Illini won’t be playing against a pushover tomorrow. The Dukes are ready to fight.
“I’m very excited, and I think we have a good chance of beating them as long as we play our game,” Duquesne guard Kareem Rozier said. “…We have come so far so now we're able to take shots, take blows from teams and recover. With all of the great leadership from the older guys and myself, I think we'll be able to recover from any shot that they throw at us.”
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Duquesne doesn’t exactly play pretty. The Dukes have the No. 158 offensive efficiency in the country and have averaged 68.4 points per game during their nine-game win streak. Not exactly an offensive juggernaut compared to Illinois, which has the No. 2 offensive efficiency in the country.
But the Dukes have shocked and disrupted teams with their aggressive defense, holding down BYU (No. 13 offensive efficiency) in a 71-67 first-round win on Thursday and limiting Dayton (No. 20 offensive efficiency) in a 65-57 win in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinal last week.
The Illini have more talent and have been held under 70 points just once since mid-November. But Duquesne has a lot of confidence after beating higher-ranked teams in upset wins lately. The Dukes are ready for a fight.
“We have prepared ourselves for that transition offense,” Rozier said. “I think if we can stop them in transition, we'll be in pretty good shape. Keeping the game in the low 60s, that's whatwe do.
Added Dixon: “We've got to put our dukes up and guard. Keep them below 60.”
Illini preparing for “handsy” Dukes' defense
Duquesne may test the Illini’s lack of a true point guard. The Dukes have the nation’s No. 29 defensive efficiency and rank No. 49 in the country in defensive turnover percentage. While their guards are undersized, they are quick and aggressive, getting into ball handlers with extended defensive pressure. Duquesne guard Jimmy Clark is No. 11 in the country in steal percentage.
The Illini have largely taken care of the ball this season, ranking No. 58 in offensive turnover percentage (15.1%). The Illini were even better during conference play (14.4%).
But Illinois did struggle at times to handle a defensive pressure blitz. The Illini turned it over 17 times at Rutgers in December but won handily 76-58 anyway. But the Illini wilted against Penn State’s pressure in late February, turning it over 18 times in a 90-89 loss at State College — including multiple turnoversin the final minutes as Illinois blew a seven-point lead with 36 seconds left.
Lessons from that loss in Happy Valley may come in handy against a Duquesne defense that Illini players Coleman Hawkins and Ty Rodgers bothcalled “handsy.”
“They're really handsy. Coach kind of compared them to Penn State, Ace Baldwin-like. Real handsy,” Hawkins said. “Trying to get in the passing lane, deflect passes. Kind of help from all over the place. Yeah, we just have to make sure we're secure with the ball, catch and receive passes with two hands.”
Illinois did score 89 points against Penn State despite those turnovers. But against a Duquesne offense that isn’t as explosive, Illinois would do well not to gift them extra possessions.
“They'll be disruptive,” Underwood said. "They like to run through passes. Good thing is we don't pass a lot in terms of initiating offense, but again, yeah, they're athletic, handsy, they're physical. They've got a propensity stat-wise to foul a lot, but they have six, seven front court guys that they just all throw out there. Yeah, they want to drag you in the mud, so to speak. We've got to be ready."
Dambrot: Shannon is LeBron-like
Keith Dambrot knows what it’s like to watch a physically dominant wing in transition. The Duquesne coach was one of the first witnesses of LeBron James’ basketball superpowers, coachingthe NBA legend at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron (Ohio) for two years.
When Dambrot watches Illinois star guard Terrence Shannon, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound force, in transition, he sees shades of James.
“Terrence Shannon is a big challenge,” Dambrot said. “Reminds me of LeBron in the open court. Thankfully not quite as good as LeBron, but pretty good.
“Shannon is a definite pro. Maybe a first-round draft pick. I don't know. I don't know where he is on the board. I really don't look at stuff like that. Explosive athlete. Unbelievable going to the rim in the open court. Good three-ball shooter. Good toughness, good motor.”
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Shannon currently is the No. 3 scorer in the country, averaging 23.1 points per game on 47.4% shooting. He has scored 25+ points in 10 of the last 13 games. He’s been even more dominant in the postseason, averaging 32.0 points on 49.3% shooting (41.9% from three) during the Illini’s last four games.
He will be a handful for a Duquesne backcourt that plays four playerswho weigh 185 pounds or lighter.
“He's a great one-on-one scorer,” said Rozier, who is 5-foot-9, 160 pounds. “He can score at all three levels, but mainly him getting downhill in transition, he's very dangerous. I think that getting him in the half court will help us because we're such a great half court defensive team.”
