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Illinois Basketball: 5 storylines for the Illini in the 2022 NCAA tournament

By Rees Woodcock

Jan 21, 2022; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood looks onto the court during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2022; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood looks onto the court during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Dec 11, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da’Monte Williams (20) drives the ball against Arizona Wildcats guard Benedict Mathurin (0) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Potential for Illinois to correct mistakes vs Arizona

Illinois has the ability to go far in the NCAA tournament if they are able to play a B+ or better game each night. Hitting shots, unlike the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, is something we can do quite frequently.

To get through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, the Illini will have to make buckets. We can’t rely on our defense to win those games. Shots have to be going in. If we get to the Sweet 16, there is a chance the matchup is going to be against No. 1 Arizona.

Taking down the Wildcats sounds like a daunting task and it is. But this is something we have tried to do once this season already and came pretty close to pulling off the upset.

Illinois had a four-point halftime lead against Arizona back in December. With less than three minutes to go in the game, the Illini had a one-point lead over the Wildcats. In that game, Illinois was down three points with the ball with less than 30 seconds left. A weird turnover essentially ended the game, but Illinois was right there with the No. 1 seed.

I hope that Illinois gets a shot at Arizona again in the NCAA tournament. This would be a chance for the Illini to make some changes and correct the mistakes they made against the Wildcats earlier this season.

Coleman Hawkins is a better player than he was back in December. He finished the first game with zero points, two turnovers, and three fouls. Kofi Cockburn wasn’t great in that game either. He was only 5-of-15 from the floor for 13 points.

If these two get going, and the rest of the crew plays well, then Illinois could knock off Arizona to advance to the Elite 8. We have a good enough team to accomplish this goal.

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