EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TEAM STANDING BETWEEN ILLINOIS AND A FINAL FOUR

If your head is still ringing from Thursday night, here’s the cure: You weren’t dreaming. Illinois is in the Elite Eight. After reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2005, they’re headed to the regional finals for the first time since then.

Thursday’s game lived up to the billing. Illinois fought off Iowa State to continue dancing in what was touted as one of the most exciting matchups of the Sweet 16. The game had everything, a quick Illinois start, an Iowa State rally, Illini in foul trouble and yet another trademark performance from Terrence Shannon Jr., who is now averaging 31.1 points per game in the postseason.

After beating an Iowa State team that had the best defense according to KenPom, they’ll go up against another team that is hard to beat with them in front of the basket.

It’s not hard to tell you that the UConn Huskies are a good basketball team. It’s like telling you that the sky is blue or that Champaign winters are cold.

This article could be summed up with five words: They’re a good basketball team. Maybe six words: They’re a really good basketball team.

So here’s a shot at telling you not just that they’re a good team but who and what makes them such a good team.

The Who-skies?

Let’s be real for a second. You know who the Huskies are, and if you don’t, you probably need to go outside.

The Cyclones were the best defensive team in the nation heading into Thursday’s clash between the best offense and the best defense. KenPom’s rankings post-game still have Iowa State as the best defense, but now has Illinois as the second-best offense.

The Illini put up 72 points against a team that has given up that many just five times this season, but the figure is a ways below the 84.4 they average. After putting up 82 in a 30-point blowout victory against the San Diego State Aztecs, the UConn Huskies have leapfrogged Illinois for KenPom’s No. 1 offense.

Following his team’s win over Iowa State, Brad Underwood acknowledged that his team, at one point, was one of the best defensive teams in the nation and that they needed some of that to grind out a victory over the Cyclones. They’ll need much more of that defensive firepower against UConn.

The Huskies have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation, which in plain English means that they take care of the ball really, really well.

They also move a lot, whether it be with the ball or off the ball. Defensively, Illinois is almost always showing man-to-man. Illinois doesn’t help much on defense, especially in off-ball screens or pin-downs. Look to see UConn exploit that and get behind Illinois.

These backscreens and pin-downs are also used to create open shooting opportunities. UConn as a team is shooting 36.7% from behind the arc and is capable of getting hot — they’ve made as many as 17 in one game this season.

A simple pick-and-roll can force an Illinois big man to guard a ball handler or force a mismatch elsewhere. Clingan isn’t quite Zach Edey, and Zach Edey isn’t quite Clingan, but Illinois has shown struggles against the Purdue big man this season.

The Huskies, though, are a two-headed monster. Dan Hurley is the conductor of not just one of the best offensive teams in the nation, but one of the best defensive ones, too.

They have the second-best scoring margin in all of Division I thanks to that.

The Huskies are not too many spots behind the Cyclones in the defensive rankings, sitting at sixth.

UConn has one of the best rim defenses in the nation. They’re in the 99th percentile for it, and a lot of that is thanks to sophomore big man Donovan Clingan. The 7-foot-2 center is often seen in drop-deep coverage, but his quick lateral movement allows him to shift over and contest if not prevent scores at the rim. He could create problems for a drive-happy player like TSJ.

Despite this, UConn’s opponents have converted on 50% of their two-point attempts this season. For comparison, Illinois’ opponents are shooting 46.3% from inside the arc.

Marcus Domask’s ‘Booty Ball’ could be one weapon used to find a soft spot in UConn’s defense, which has allowed opponents just 63.6 points per game.

If Domask can get to the basket and force UConn to double team, he’s a capable enough passer to find an open shooter on the perimeter or a player like Ty Rodgers or Dain Dainja under the rim.

The prospect of Coleman Hawkins stretching the floor to open up the paint is likely in the game plan for Saturday.

On any given night, this UConn team can beat you on both sides of the basketball.

Who To Watch

“There’s nothing not to like about them,” ESPN’s Joe Lunardi said ahead of the tournament. “This is probably the best college team that we’ve seen since Villanova won the title in 2018 with four first-rounders.”

UConn as a team might be one of the most challenging for Illinois from a size perspective. In its starting five, they have three guards that are 6-foot-4 or higher and have a front court featuring the second-tallest player remaining in the tournament.

Donovan Clingan finished his freshman season as an NCAA champion and a likely pick for the NBA Draft. He was current Chicago Bull Adama Sanogo’s backup last year, but has taken the starting spot this year and flourished with it. He averages 12.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while averaging just 23 minutes on the floor. He can be prone to falling into foul trouble, averaging 3 per game.

The Huskies also have a lot of experience on their squad, including a pair of fifth-year senior guards. One of them is Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer, who is shooting the three-ball lights out this season, converting on 44% of his attempts. He’s also second in scoring on the team, averaging 14.4 points per game. He can also be a pest on the defensive end, averaging 1.4 steals.

The other is point guard Tristen Newton, who played a pivotal role in last year’s championship-winning team, and is also a guy to keep your eyes on. He leads the team in scoring and assists, averaging 15.2 and 6.2 respectively. A lot of those assists come from him being such a talent when driving with the ball. He attracts the attention of opposition defenses and can swing the ball to a shooter on the perimeter or to a wide-open Clingan.

Another player who played a big role in last year’s team is Alex Karaban. The 6-foot-8 forward hits half of his shots from the field and is also a capable deep threat. He can be a streaky shooter, but when you have weapons like UConn does, that can be easily ignored.

How To Win

UConn has five players on their roster averaging double-digits. Illinois has three. It’s a lot harder to aim for the head of the beast when it has five heads, but Illinois will have to do just that.

The Huskies share some similarities to the Iowa State team that Illinois just beat. Both squads are relentless on defense and have several capable scorers. The biggest difference though is that one of these teams is also a great offensive team.

Illinois will have to learn from the past to succeed in the future if they want to reach the Final Four. They’ll have to fight through one of the toughest defenses in the country for each basket, but turn around and defend against, now, the best offense in the country.

Keeping Shannon hot and on the court will be crucial to winning. He’s a three-level scorer who has been arguably the best player in college basketball since the conclusion of the regular season. He’s averaging just over 31 points in the postseason, and had it not been for foul trouble, could have surpassed the 29 points he managed in 22 minutes against Iowa State.

Looking Ahead

Having reached his program’s first Sweet Sixteen since 2005, Brad Underwood pulled his team to also win in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since then. Now, he’ll look to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2005 and for the sixth time in school history.

Tipoff on Saturday against the Huskies at TD Garden in Boston will be at 5:09 p.m., and the game can be seen on TBS (and truTV).

2024-03-29T12:58:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd