Illinois seeks to return to Sweet 16 in second-round NCAA Tournament matchup with Kentucky
For the fourth time in the last five years, the Fighting Illini have won an NCAA Tournament game. Now the goal is getting back to the Sweet 16, something they haven't done in consecutive seasons since 2005.
Illinois was back at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Saturday, getting ready for their 2nd round matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats.
It X was marks the spot for the 6-seed Fighting Illini after their convincing first round win over Xavier. They're now focused on bringing that same energy and effort against 3-seed Kentucky with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
"It's gonna be a big-time game. It's crazy playing the Kentucky Wildcats. For me, I've always watched them growing up, and it's a different program now, but still has the same name right upon their chest. So it'll be huge for us," Illini junior guard Kylan Boswell said.
Illinois wants to ride the wave from another sea of orange and blue in the stands in Milwaukee against one of college basketball's Big Blue blood brands.
"It's definitely a war zone, a battle for real. You know, our whole arena was orange last night. I know Kentucky, they travel in numbers too, so I know it's going to be a great environment," Illini junior guard Tre White said.
"I think it's gonna be pretty electric; two well-educated crazy fan bases," assistant coach Orlando Antigua said.
Antigua knows that first-hand, having worked at both Kentucky and Illinois twice.
The Illini achieved their first goal of advancing to the second round of the tournament, but remain focused on their ultimate mission – making a Final Four run, and winning the school's first-ever national championship.
On Sunday afternoon, they're facing a vaunted program with eight NCAA title banners, but they match up well with this version of the Kentucky Wildcats, which also has dealt with a roster overhaul and key injuries.
"We like the matchup a lot; really good guards on their end, but also for us, and then the big play, too. We've been watching a lot of film on them. These teams are good, so they're going to put up a battle. I'm really glad Coach Underwood gave us a really tough schedule," Boswell said.
"They play a little bit similar like us; with great pace, shooting a lot of 3s, going for offensive rebounds. So we just have to be ourselves, trust the process, and execute," freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis said.
Both teams frequently score 80-plus points in games, so Kentucky grad student guard Jaxson Robinson is expecting a fast-paced game, with "both teams making big-time shots."
"I feel like it's just going to come down to defensively, and how we execute that," he said.
Clearly the March Madness stage isn't too big for freshman forward Will Riley. The normally stoic Riley came out of his shell with a team-high 22 points in the win over Xavier, unleashing some rare emotion in front of the partisan Illini crowd.
"You see Will got an and-one, hyping up the crowd, everybody getting 3s," White said. "That's just March."
"I just felt it was right. I needed to get the crowd into the game, and it's March, so now's the time to do it," Riley said.
"To me, that's what this tournament brings out, just fun and emotion and the raw passion for the game. I've said those guys love the game," head coach Brad Underwood said.
Underwood pointed to his team's challenging non-conference schedule. The Illini played four SEC teams that reached the tournament teams, helping to prepare them for March Madness moments like this against Kentucky.
Old school Illini fans are hoping for some home cooking in Milwaukee, unlike the last NCAA Tournament meeting against Kentucky 41 years ago – a controversial Illinois loss in Lexington.
if the Illini get another performance Riley like they got against Xavier, they should be in good shape. Riley had 22 points, the most ever for an Illini freshman in an NCAA Tournament game. He also made 3 of 4 three-point attempts, including the dagger late to give Illinois an 84-69 lead with less than two minutes left. He also had a season-high tying 2 blocks.
Illinois and Kentucky tip-off at 4:15 p.m. Central time on Sunday in Milwaukee, and you can watch the game on CBS.
