March Madness: 5 Things We Learned About the Illinois Fighting Illini

5. A Sweet Breakthrough

Brad Underwood has been mostly successful as the head coach at Illinois since moving to Champaign from Oklahoma State. After a pair of losing seasons to begin his tenure, Underwood had made the NCAA Tournament in three straight campaigns (2020 was canceled, but that would have been four straight), and the Illini have been top five in the Big Ten in each season. The most significant black mark on the resume has been a lack of NCAA Tournament success. Illinois has lost in the first or second round in the past three tournaments. That trend continued the failures suffered under former head coach Bruce Weber, with Illinois not making the Sweet 16 since 2005. The two blowouts over Morehead State and Duquesne may have been expected, but they were sweet nonetheless for Underwood and the Illini faithful as they return to the third round after a long absence.

2. Illini Defense is the Difference

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood believes this version of the Illini was built for the postseason, and if they defend at a high level, he thinks the sky is the limit. “When we guard like that, that’s what we can be,” Underwood said after his team’s win over Duquesne. “We did a lot of that early in the year, defensively, and I thought we smothered the two little guys.” Since Shannon Jr.’s return from suspension, Illinois has had one of the nation’s best offenses, but it has been the defense thus far in the NCAA Tournament, which is a reason for optimism that they can go further. The Illini held Morehead State to only 69 points and limited a hot Duquesne team to just 63 points in the Round of 32. Illinois has a lot of length versatility, and when they are locked in, they can be challenging to find good looks against.

3. Perimeter Shooting

One of the significant reasons for Illinois’ offense being as good as anyone’s since February 1 is the deep well of perimeter shooting available to head coach Brad Underwood. Against Duquesne, reserve guard Luke Goode knocked in a three-pointer, Coleman Hawkins hit three of them, Marcus Domask added one, and Terrence Shannon Jr. hit two. The Illini have five players connecting on over 35% of their three-point attempts this season and many options that can hurt opponents from deep. The versatility in their attack will be a significant test for defensively stout Iowa State in the Sweet 16.

Illinois East Region Winner: +600

4. Glue Guy

Coleman Hawkins is not a star but is one of the better role players in the Big Ten and is proving his worth during March Madness. During their romp over Duquesne, Hawkins played 25 minutes. He led the team in rebounds with seven, added three assists with no turnovers, knocked down three three-pointers, and scored 11 points. In addition, he plays strong defense and can switch onto nearly anyone on the opposing team because of his length and ability to move well laterally. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask get the headlines, but Hawkins is vital to Illinois' success.

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5. A Sweet Breakthrough

Brad Underwood has been mostly successful as the head coach at Illinois since moving to Champaign from Oklahoma State. After a pair of losing seasons to begin his tenure, Underwood had made the NCAA Tournament in three straight campaigns (2020 was canceled, but that would have been four straight), and the Illini have been top five in the Big Ten in each season. The most significant black mark on the resume has been a lack of NCAA Tournament success. Illinois has lost in the first or second round in the past three tournaments. That trend continued the failures suffered under former head coach Bruce Weber, with Illinois not making the Sweet 16 since 2005. The two blowouts over Morehead State and Duquesne may have been expected, but they were sweet nonetheless for Underwood and the Illini faithful as they return to the third round after a long absence.