The official bracket for the Maui Invitational was released yesterday, and the Illinois basketball team was put in an interesting situation.
The Illini will tip off the tournament against Gonzaga on November 19 at 10:30 PM CT. The winner of that game will take on either Arizona or Iowa State depending on who wins that matchup. This is where things get interesting for the Illini.
There is a possibility for the Orange and Blue to go up against a Cyclones team that had a pretty good class of 2018 come into their program. This class ranked No. 26 in the nation and consisted of three state of Illinois recruits.
Illinois really wasn’t in the running for Zion Griffin. He was one of the three in-state kids. But, the other two – George Conditt and Talen Horton-Tucker – were both direct Illini targets who didn’t end up in Champaign.
Conditt’s commitment to Iowa State didn’t come as a surprise. While he attended Corliss High School in Chicago, Illinois, his dad played football for the Cyclones back in the 1990’s. This legacy connection is hard to break and now George Jr. is suiting up for Iowa State. But, the connection with Horton-Tucker is what really piques my interest.
Whatever happened between Ayo Dosunmu – legendary Illini commit in the class of 2018 – and Horton-Tucker during the recruitment process can be speculated. There are a few stories out there but one thing is for sure, Horton-Tucker was interested in Illinois but didn’t come here.
The combination of Dosunmu and Horton-Tucker would have been special in Champaign. They would have been a dynamic duo and with them, Trent Frazier, and the rest of the Illini cast, I think this program’s rebuild would have accelerated.
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But, that didn’t happen. Horton-Tucker is now with the Cyclones and there is a real possibility these two teams play each other in the second round of the Maui Invitational. Good for the group who puts together the bracket for this tournament. This game is going to be must-see television. I can’t wait until November. Let’s paint Hawaii orange and blue.