Before the 68-team bracket is unveiled on Sunday, college basketball writer Scott Richey will weigh in on his favorite sport. Today’s topic: Four reasons the Illini can win the NCAA tournament.
Ayo Dosunmu
Simply put, the junior guard is built for March Madness. All of his late-game takeovers and game winners throughout his career is just the appetizer for the NCAA tournament where those moments get amplified. There’s a better than good chance he’ll go legitimate superhero mode now that he’s wearing the black mask.
Kofi Cockburn
Cockburn gives Illinois a unique presence in the paint. There are other dominant big men across the country, but few can match the sheer physicality of the Illini sophomore. He’s also due for one of those dunk-everything, rebound-everything games given he hasn’t had a double-double since Feb. 16.
Well-established roles
Beyond the two stars at the top, Illinois settled into its rotation after the two-game losing streak to Ohio State and Maryland by inserting Jacob Grandison into the starting lineup. That was the final (apparently necessary)move. The Illini won 11 of 12 games to end the regular season, as each player knew exactly what was expected of them.
Efficiency at both ends
The changes to both the offensive and defensive systems in 2019-20 took firm root this season. Gone was the hyper-aggressive defense, the spread offense. In their place, the Illini have relied on Cockburn to anchor their defense and moved to a ball-screen heavy offense. The result? A top-10 efficiency rating in both.
Scott Richey is a reporter covering college basketball at The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).
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