Illinois will Win the NCAA Tournament - Reasons Why By Mike Hurley

The Fighting Illini gained an at-large bid to the tournament after going 21-13 on the season. Here is why they will win it all.

Live by the Three…:  Coach Underwood has refused to let up on the three-point shooting. So they’ll live by the three…or die by it. They put up more shots from behind the arc (30.1) per game, than all but three other teams, but they are ranked 315th in 3-point %. But this team can score and score big from all over the floor. Their starting five are all averaging double digits in PPG, and the team put up more points in one game against Iowa (106) than any other team in Division I in the past 10 days. If Coach Underwood’s gang can shoot straight, they’re gonna be tough to beat. 

Windex Index:  Illinois is number two in the nation in rebounding at 42.5 per game. And now that stud freshman Morez Johnson Jr. is back in the rotation after suffering a broken wrist, the team is at its best on the boards. In his first two games back from injury, he had 17 rebounds. As Hans Gruber might say, “Putze das glas!” ("Clean the glass"), if you want to win. 

It’s a Young Man’s Game:  At least the Illini hope it is. Illinois has one of the youngest rosters with first year college players Ivisic, Jakucionis, Riley, and Johnson playing huge roles. After a season of playing against Big Ten competition, these are not little weasley freshmen, but rather battle-hardened warriors. Okay that might be a stretch, but they won’t see anything in the tournament they haven’t seen during the season having faced one of the top ten toughest schedules in Division I. I believe the children are our future.

Mike Hurley