Northwestern or Illinois? Which team has a better chance to do damage in the NCAAs

I don’t learn about you, however I can’t wait to be there when rivals Northwestern and Illinois collide within the Elite Eight in Las Vegas.

If solely, proper?

It would take a miracle for both workforce — not to mention each — to make it that far.

Which one has a greater likelihood to do some harm within the NCAA Match? Is it the Wildcats, the West Area’s No. 7 seed, who open Thursday (6:35 p.m., truTV) towards 10 seed Boise State in Sacramento, Calif.? Or is it the Illini, the West’s 9 seed, who open Thursday (3:30 p.m., TBS) towards 8 seed Arkansas in Des Moines, Iowa?

Nicely, it relies upon the way you take a look at it.

The Wildcats have been the extra constant, extra collectively workforce, led by the skilled guard tandem of Boo Buie and Chase Audige and squeezing each drop from the remainder of a no-name crew.

The Illini seemingly have extra expertise and have had flashes — particularly early, in wins towards UCLA and Texas — when their ceiling has seemed very excessive. However this is without doubt one of the most up-and-down groups in all the subject.

And each groups are, at the very least in sure respects, trying within the mirror at their first-round opponents. Like Northwestern, Boise State performs its guts out and was pushed by its protection right into a tie for second place in its convention, the Mountain West; you already know what you’re going to get with the Wildcats and the Broncos. Like Illinois, Arkansas was extraordinarily harmful to others and approach too usually damaging to itself in its league, the SEC; you haven’t any thought what you’re going to get from the Illini and the Razorbacks.

Can Northwestern get by way of to the second spherical? Positive.

“We all know we’re going to have our palms full Thursday,” coach Chris Collins mentioned, “however that’s what it’s within the NCAA Match — everyone’s actually good.”

Can Illinois get by way of? Positive.

“There’s no strain on us,” coach Brad Underwood mentioned. “We simply have to let our hair down, so to talk, and go play like we’re succesful.”

For the file, I’m choosing the Wildcats to win and the Illini to lose.

However it is going to be stunning if each video games don’t have a could-go-either-way really feel into the closing minutes. The Broncos bang round so much like a Large Ten workforce — particularly 6-7, 232-pound main scorer Tyson Degenhart — and all 5 starters common in double figures in scoring. Guards Marcus Shaver Jr. and Max Rice are proper up there with Buie and Audige. However the Mountain West has carried out terribly as a convention within the Large Dance lately, dropping its final eight first-round video games.

The Razorbacks are wildly proficient, with freshman guards Nick Smith and Anthony Black in each 2023 NBA lottery projection. High scorer and fellow guard Ricky Council IV is a promising NBA prospect, too. This is perhaps essentially the most uncommon workforce within the event — a bunch of ridiculously athletic guards who don’t shoot threes. In at the moment’s recreation, the Hogs, who run all recreation and dwell for layups and fastbreak buckets, are complete outliers with how they play. They’ll beat anyone or lose to anyone, very like the Illini.

One win is good. Two is actually getting someplace — on this case, to the Candy 16 in Las Vegas.

For Northwestern to drag that off, it doubtless must beat UCLA within the second spherical. The primary thought: That’s simply not potential. The second: However the Bruins misplaced Jaylen Clark, one among their prime gamers, to a season-ending harm final week after which noticed huge man Adem Bona get harm within the Pac-12 event. Will Bona play Thursday? We don’t know. The Bruins almost beat Arizona for the event title with out each gamers, however they’re a susceptible workforce.

Illinois’ street is undoubtedly more durable, with No. 1 Kansas in the way in which. Going towards former Illini coach Invoice Self could be fairly a narrative, particularly with Self having spent all the Large 12 event within the hospital after receiving a coronary heart catheterization and having two stents carried out in his coronary heart. The primary thought: There’s no shot the Illini can beat the defending nationwide champion Jayhawks. The second: However, wait, didn’t the Illini beat UCLA and Texas? Kansas was blown out by Texas twice simply this very month.

Have we concluded something right here? In all probability not. Sorry.

Three-dot sprint

Clearly, the Large Ten workforce with the very best likelihood to do harm is East No. 1 seed Purdue. However the Boilermakers needed to empty the tank to win the convention event by two factors towards Penn State, they usually appeared to expire of gasoline towards the tip because the Nittany Lions rallied and almost stole the title. That’s not signal, and All-American heart Zach Edey nonetheless doesn’t have all that particular a supporting solid. The Boilers simply may lose within the second spherical to Memphis or Florida Atlantic. …

Talking of Penn State, its first-round matchup towards Texas A&M within the Midwest is an old-schooler’s dream. The Lions are skilled and hard as nails. The Aggies gave SEC foes suits all season for related causes and undoubtedly ought to have been seeded greater than the 7 line. Will this be coach Micah Schrewsberry’s final recreation at PSU earlier than a basketball college throws cash at him that he can’t refuse? …

My bracket has no Large Ten groups within the Candy 16. I’ll be fallacious about that, hopefully. Not “the very best league within the nation,” although, irrespective of what number of occasions its coaches say it’s. …

In the event you ignore information and seeds and simply take a look at how all of the groups are enjoying, you need to name Duke among the finest groups within the event. Speak about peaking on the proper time. Then once more, first-round foe Oral Roberts is tremendous scary. The O-Bobs don’t fiddle. …

This can be a nice group of 12 seeds. It’s all the time trendy to select 12s over 5s within the first spherical, however VCU, Charleson, Drake and Oral Roberts are all so good. At the very least two of them will advance. …

Of the highest seeds, No. 1 general Alabama was placed on by far the simplest path to the Ultimate 4 by the choice committee. The South is bumsville in comparison with the opposite areas. …

Illinois opened as a 3½-point underdog. Northwestern-Boise is a coin flip. , in case you’re into that kind of factor.