Big Ten Daily (March 29): Illinois 'Excited' for Opportunity to Play No. 1 UConn With Final Four at Stake

Illinois is just one win away from reaching its first Final Four since 2005. Standing in the way is No. 1 overall seed UConn. But the Fighting Illini aren't scared or intimidated, they're excited for the chance to shock the world.

Brad Underwood is quickly changing the narrative at Illinois. Each of the previous three seasons, the Fighting Illini have been a quick out in the NCAA Tournament. After a 72-69 victory over Iowa State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night, though, Illinois is knocking on the door of its first Final Four appearance in 19 years.

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 29 points, Coleman Hawkins ended the game with 12 rebounds and six rebounds and Marcus Domask pitched in seven points, six rebounds and five assists in the Illini's win over the Cyclones. Not a bad performance from a program that hasn't reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2005.

The prize for defeating Iowa State on Thursday? A showdown with No. 1 overall seed UConn on Saturday (6:09 p.m. ET, TBS).

"I'm super proud and excited. We didn't come here to win one game, we came here to win two," Underwood said. "To advance to the Elite Eight is special. We've got a great challenge, we'll dive into (UConn) sometime around 3 a.m. when we get back and be ready to go for UConn on Saturday."

UConn posted an impressive 82-52 victory over No. 5 seed San Diego State on Thursday night. The Huskies outscored the Aztecs 42-21 in the second half and were led by Stephon Castle, who finished the game with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Cam Spencer ended the contest with a team-high 18 points and Tristen Newton added 17.

Through the first three games of the tournament, UConn's average margin of victory is 28.7 points per game. The Huskies defeated No. 16 Stetson 91-59 and took down No. 9 Northwestern 75-58 in the second round.

But the Illini aren't afraid of the challenge. They're looking at it as an opportunity.

"I wouldn't say it's necessarily intimidating but, personally, I have more of a respect for them," Hawkins said. "I think it's a higher level of respect. I think they've been playing great all year. I think they're well coached and they do what they do."

"A lot of respect to them for everything they've done," Domask said. "We've played a lot of college basketball, I've played a lot of teams that are supposed to beat us, if you wanna say they're supposed to beat us. We'll figure out how to guard them and score on them, but they gotta do the same for us. It's just another game, really."

While UConn has been college basketball's best team most of the season, Illinois enters the contest as one of the sport's hottest teams. The Fighting Illini have won eight of nine games in March and are winners in 10 of their last 11 contests. That includes a run to the Big Ten Tournament championship.

So, when Illinois enters Saturday's game against UConn, they won't be scared or intimidated. Hawkins, Domask and Luke Goode all expressed confidence and excitement about the possibility of reaching the Final Four for the first time in nearly two decades.

"It's the confidence in our teammates and they 'why not us?' mindset," Goode said. "We put in so much work in the offseason, starting back in Spain. We were practicing over the summer. We prepared for this, this is what you prepare for.

"It's super exciting to have the opportunity to go play the No. 1 team in the country in the Elite Eight. You can't ask for anything better."

Purdue, Wisconsin advance in Women's NIT

Two Big Ten women's basketball teams were also in action on Thursday night, participating in the NIT. Both Purdue and Wisconsin picked up wins on their respective home courts, Advancing to the Elite Eight round of the tournament.

Abbey Ellis led the way for the Boilermakers, scoring 15 points in a 71-50 victory over Duquesne. Purdue also got great contributions from Mary Ashley Stevenson, who ended the game with 13 points and nine rebounds. Jayla Smith and Sophie Swanson came off the bench and gave the team 15 points and 14 points, respectively.

Jeanae Terry played an excellent floor game in the win. She finished the night scoreless, but collected 11 rebounds and dished out four assists.

Wisconsin cruised to an 86-61 victory over Illinois State to advance to the next round of the tournament. Four Badger starters ended the game in double figures in the victory.

Serah Williams and Sania Copeland both scored 18 points and Ronnie Porter gave the Badgers 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Natalie Leuzinger added 12 points and D'Yanis Jimenez adddd 10 off the bench.

Minnesota is also still alive in the Women's NIT and will take the floor on Thursday night for its third round game against North Dakota State (8 p.m. ET).

Two Big Ten women's teams remain alive in the NCAA Tournament. No. 4 seed Indiana plays No. 1 seed South Carolina on Friday (5 p.m. ET, ESPN) and No. 1 seed Iowa takes on No. 5 seed Colorado on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

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