Prediction: Illinois Basketball vs Iowa State

Illinois Basketball is just hours away from the most important game in the program’s recent history. Unfortunately, it has been an uncontested 18 years since Bruce Weber and the  05′ Orange and Blue made their legendary run to the National Championship. As of the posting of this article, the Illini are preparing for a “primetime” sweet sixteen game in Boston. Certainly a massive step forward for not only Brad Underwood as a coach but Illinois as a program. This team, the staff, and the fan base are pumped. However, as a wise Coleman Hawkins said, “The Job’s not finished,”

Thoughts

T.J. Otzelberger and his east 2-seed, Cyclones are the best best defensive team in the nation. Turnovers, blocked shots, and quickly closing shooting/driving lanes are a given with Iowa State. The million-dollar question remains, can Iowa State’s offense outscore Illinois? The bordering state rivals average 75.5 ppg, to Illinois near 85ppg (84.6). The scoring will happen. However, as we well know, it depends on which version Illinois defense shows up. The Illini seemed very locked in all week, and this team and staff have made it very clear that this is a business trip. Making a sweet sixteen is a massive deal for the moment for Illinois Basketball, but not the end game. The goals and dreams of this team are right there for the taking. Minimize the turnovers, acknowledge the inevitable frustration of playing the best defensive team in the nation, and play tough defense.

If Illinois handles that job, they will be competing for their first Elite 8 since the Dee Brown era. Illinois is hot, and I am taking the motivated team with the best players in the nation.

Final Prediction: 83-79 Illinois

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