Illinois-UNLV
I was the Bulls-Pacers game at Conseco Friday night. As the game started at 7 pm, I set the Illinois-UNLV game to record and embarked on the always dangerous game of "hope no one spoils the game for me." The guys I was at the game with played along and as I filtered out of Conseco, I was blissfully unaware of anything going on in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Literally as I hit the exit, some inconsiderate individual in front of me pulled out his diabolical I-Phone and yelled for all to hear "ILLINOIS IS WINNING 31-16!!!" Thanks douche.
Anyway, Illinois played about as well as they can play through the first 35 minutes. They made tough shots, they defended, they rebounded. McCamey and Davis both played with an urgency you would have expected all year from seniors with NBA dreams. It was both exciting and frustrating to watch. Exciting because if the Illini play like they did Friday night for the rest of the tournament, they could stun Kansas and make a deep run. Frustrating because for a full season, the Illini underachieved to the point that, after blowing another lead late in their Big 10 Tournament exit to Michigan, I actually said, "Eff it. I don't care if the Illini miss the tournament. They don't deserve to be there. This team is awful."
Still, at the end of the day, this is the first tournament win for the Illini since Dee Brown and James Augustine were in Champaign, so savor the win and enjoy the fact that the Illini live to fight another day.
Illinois-Kansas
For a second round matchup, this game is loaded with storylines. Self-Weber has been beaten to death by all manner of media. But the Illinois-Kansas story does not begin there. This will be the third time in the last decade the two schools meet in the NCAA tournament. In 2001, Frank Williams abused Kirk Hinrich in an 80-64 Sweet 16 victory. In a press conference before the game, Roy Williams complained to no end about the physical play of Lucas Johnson and Robert Archibald. Before the game! In 2002, Frank Williams ended a disappointing season, and a polarizing career at Illinois, when he missed a wide open 18 foot baseline jumper that would have tied the game at 71 in a 73-69 loss in the Sweet 16. Nine years later, Kansas and Illinois meet again in the tournament's second round.
Bruce Weber should not need to work hard to motivate his seniors for tonight's game. We remember teams by their ultimate result. Frank Williams' legacy at Illinois is hurt by the missed jumpshot against Kansas in '02 and for the fact that he was shut down by Richard Jefferson in the Elite 8 in '01. I have friends who continue to dislike Brian Cook, forgetting his Big 10 Player of the Year Senior year, but remembering that Cook was awful in a second round loss to Notre Dame that year. If Illinois were to upset Kansas tonight, the narrative of the careers of the Illinois Seniors changes from "underachievers who never reached their enormous potential" to "seniors that beat number 1 seed Kansas and Bill Self." The chance to change the historical narrative should be a powerful motivational tool.
As to how the teams match up, Kansas is led by two twin juniors: Marcus and Markieff Morris. Marcus is the rugged inside presence, Markieff is a good shooter outside. Mike Tisdale will have his hands full inside. The Illini will probably need some good defensive minutes from Myers Leonard as well. Kansas is an extremely balanced team that can beat you in a lot of ways.
So what are the keys for the Illini? (1) They need to win the game on the defensive end. They need to defend like they did against UNLV and force a Kansas team that shoots better than 51% (number 1 in the country in that category) to work for every point. (2) The Illini cannot give away possessions. Illinois turns the ball over 13 times per game. Illinois is going to give up second chance points. Kansas is a very good rebounding team. And that is why the Illini cannot waste possessions offensively.
At the end of the day, Illinois is an 8.5 point underdog for a reason. But if they play like they are capable, they have a chance to win this game and change how this team is remembered. Go Illini.
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