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Here I go for my prognosis for our Sweet 16 tussle.

The game is more than just O versus D;

But I looked at what each team does; Offense.
Scoring; Illinois
2 point shooting eff %; Illinois
3 point shooting eff %; Illinois
Free Throw shooting %; Illinois
Free Throws shooting per game; Illinois
Rebounding; Illinois

Iowie has nobody that averages 20 points per game.

Defense; Is the Big 12 or some of the Western States as good game in and game out the quality of the Big 10/14 ? I don't think so, some good teams, but not as deep in the conference games ! So, Yes they are # 1 on paper, but in performance ? Do they have someone like Shannon that is an "elite" defender, who will shut down either Shannon or Dumass for an entire game ? Not seeing that. Do we look for Dumass to TO the ball 5/6 times, NOT IF Ty brings the ball up ? I don't see massive TO's on our part.

Overall THE Game; There is another part of the game within the game; Fouls and Free Throw Made; We don't foul a lot anymore (The early Under years.) and we can put 4 guys on the court at the SAME time that AVERAGE above 80 %, this isn't a team that will miss 20 times a game anymore. They try to slow the game, but not as slow as Morehead.
DD is our secret weapon, he is the dancing bear in the paint and a rebounder and can score.
We get them into foul trouble, we shoot better at 2 and 3 and Free throws.

Illini 75 Iowie State 60.

Wednesday, March 27 at TD Garden (all times listed are EDT, local to Boston)

11:55 a.m. – First 15 minutes of Illinois practice open to media

1:50 p.m. – Illinois Coach Brad Underwood press conference

2:05 p.m. – Selected Illinois student-athletes press conference

• Illinois locker room open to media from 1:50-2:20

3:05 p.m. – Selected Iowa State student-athletes press conference

3:20 p.m. – Iowa State Coach T.J. Otzelberger press conference

• Iowa State locker room open to media from 3:05-3:35

3:45 p.m. – First 15 minutes of Iowa State practice open to media

A few nuggets after the first three practices.

There is an article today in the Athletic by CJ Moore titled “Illinois finally found the formula for getting past NCAA tournament’s first weekend.” The link is behind a paywall but its a really good article with some information that I think I can share.

After the Dec 9th loss to Tennessee, Brad met with Jay Wright who called the game. Jay basically said that Marcus Domask was unguardable. Apparently Wright did it with Brunson at Nova. The previous offense was focused on five-out and spreading the floor and having Everyone touching the ball. The underwood’s met and discussed Jay’s feedback and they switched the offense to take advantage of mismatches. The Missouri game was the first time they implemented it and it was a success (and then Shannon was suspended). The rest is a bit of history to this point but we are hot right now. 4 more!

During a Zoom with media on Monday, Illini coach Bret Bielema recapped week 1 of spring ball and discussed recruiting, the Portal, and more.

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This season is just too much fun. This team is a joy to watch with the #1 offense and the guys having so much fun.
The season will be remembered as a success. I’m no longer dreading a loss and a miserable off-season.
However, these guys deserve even more. This is our shot. Next year will be a completely different team. I’m not ready to think about it.
There are 15 other teams still standing after tonight. None of them are chumps. Looking like NC State, Clemson, San Diego State, and 13 teams in the KenPom Top 14. The path just got a lot harder. I can’t wait. Bring it on.

Put the hammer down in the first half and win it 89-63.

On to Boston and the Sweat 16.

Purdue looking tight early

Let’s hope for a bunch today.

I really like James Madison over Duke.

Avery Johnson is the leader in the clubhouse

Just waiting for our game to get here and thinking about previous years...

I started at Illinois in 1998-1999 so my first R32 experience was in 2000.

2000 L vs. Florida - I think I was flying back from Spring Break? and didn't get to see the game. I did hear that we lost and was bummed.
2001 W vs. Charlotte - I don't remember this game at all. That's the nice thing about a deeper run. Was a nice win. I probably didn't get to watch it at all during Spring Break again.
2002 W vs. Creighton - This one is fuzzy too. It really sucked when March Madness lined up with Spring Break and the games weren't televised out of state.
2003 L vs. Notre Dame - This one I remember. Maybe it was on CBS nationally in the afternoon? Was helping my brother move and meanwhile Notre Dame is raining 3-pointers down on us. I was stunned.
2004 W vs. Cincinnati - I remember going to a sports bar so I could finally see the whole game in Maryland. This was the Deron Williams "too pretty" game and he destroyed them with 31 points. So much fun.
2005 W vs. Nevada - I was at this game! Augustine > Fazekas. Took care of business. Really weird watching a basketball game in a football stadium in Indy. Who knew this would be the last S16 for so long.
2006 L vs. Washington - Felt like we fouled every possession in the 2nd half as Washington came back on us. Sad to see Dee and Augie go out like that. Hated those refs. I blame the PSU loss for our 4 seed.
....
2011 L vs. Kansas - Those stupid Morris twins were just too much for us. Too many close losses that year turned a talented squad into a 9 seed that had to see a 1 seed too soon. Still mad at Self then.
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2013 L vs. Miami - Valiant effort. Almost took down the 2 seed. Amazing what happens in the bottom of the bracket. Of course we all remember the "Illinois rule" from this game. Groce did nothing after that.
.......
2021 L vs. Loyola - Pure heartbreak. Watched the beginning at home and was in shock. Then I was outdoor at a COVID-era party and kept checking score on my phone hoping for something good. Eventually I cracked and went inside to see the last few minutes for a team that I loved. There's a wound from that game that still hasn't healed. Sort of glad I didn't see most of it.
2022 L vs. Houston - Frustrating game as their athletes took us out of our offense. That Illinois team really struggled to score with Frazier's eye trouble and Grandison's arm issues. Signs of life with RJ and Goode inserted then the technical foul finished it off. Tough matchup. Saw the whole game but it was fairly obvious early on that it wasn't happening for us.
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Some takeaways: 7 straight years in the Round of 32 was an achievement that I hadn't fully appreciated. It also reminds me that beating teams in the Round of 32 as a favorite isn't really that hard or that memorable when you actually do it. Good teams just take care of business. This has become way too big of a mountain in our minds when for a program like ours it should be a molehill.

Also, internet streaming and all 4 games being shown on 4 channels everywhere in the country is something that was not always there in my adult life. It is so much easier to follow Illinois basketball as an out-of-state fan these days. I probably shouldn't even complain about $5.99/month for Peacock. I missed so many good games in the early 2000's when I wasn't on campus.

Final thought: Underwood is only 0-4 in this round and Illinois is only riding a 5-game losing streak. This isn't exactly the Curse of the Bambino. Let's just take care of business tonight and move on.

Washington State and Iowa State tied at 27 at halftime. Jaylen Wells going off for WSU with 16 points.

North Carolina 46 Michigan State 41. 17-min 2H

Final: Arizona 78 Dayton 68

Final: Gonzaga 89 Kansas 68.

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Hunter Dickenson with an injured shoulder. Doesn’t look like the same player.

Link to the gallery.

ILLINOIS VS. DUQUESNE PHOTO GALLERY

Looks like this will tip off around 8 p.m. CT.