Illinois basketball NCAA tournament – Best seed
Okay, now we have the worst-case scenario out of the way. That isn’t a terrible floor all things considered. But let’s have a little fun. Now we can take a look at a Cinderella run.
Like I mentioned in the first slide, Illinois is currently projected as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. There is a chance we can really shake things up with some big wins over top teams.
No. 10 Ohio State takes on No. 15 Iowa on Wednesday. The winner then takes on Illinois in the second round. We beat both of these teams in the regular season, so there is no reason to think we can’t do it again.
Illinois then advances on to the third round to take on the No. 2 overall seed, Maryland. The Terrapins beat us by double-digit points the first time around. The one massive caveat to that loss for the Illini is that our starting center, Tomislav Ivisic, was out. He didn’t play, and Maryland’s big men had huge games.
Ivisic will be back this time around, and Morez Johnson Jr. could be participating too, after he has missed the past few games with a broken wrist. Illinois might be at full strength for the first time in a long time, and this could mean an upset of No. 2.
After that triumphant win over Maryland, Illinois’ likely next opponent is either No. 3 Michigan or No. 6 Purdue. I think the Boilermakers will be the team waiting for the Illini, but here is the thing. Illinois beat both Purdue and Michigan in the last two games of the season. If we did it once, we can do it again. This win advances the Illini to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament.
My guess is that Michigan State is the team that is going to be in the title game. Illinois had the Spartans on the ropes in East Lansing the first time around and only lost by two points. In the second matchup, we had the lead at halftime by four points but let the game slip away.
Illinois has played the Spartans well despite being 0-2 against them this season. It is also hard to beat a team three times in a single season. The Illini come away with Brad Underwood’s third Big Ten Tournament title.
The path I just described would get Illinois some quality wins. Maryland is No. 10 in the NET Rankings. Purdue and Michigan are No. 14 and No. 27 in the NET Rankings, respectively. The Spartans are No. 11 in the NET Rankings. That would be three big wins to boost up our NCAA tournament seeding.
Looking at ESPN’s projection right now, I think if Illinois wins the Big Ten Tournament, there is a chance we can climb as high as the No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Lunardi has Kentucky, Texas A&M, Iowa State, and St. John’s on the No. 3 line right now. Kentucky is 21-10 overall and No. 12 in the NET Rankings. Texas A&M is 22-9 overall and No. 16 in the NET Rankings. Iowa State is 23-8 and No. 9 in the NET Rankings. St. John’s is 27-4 and No. 17 in the NET Rankings.
If things shake out right, and Illinois wins the Big Ten Tournament, I could realistically see a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. That would be incredible for the Orange and Blue.