Fighting Illini ride crest into Sweet 16 tonight against Iowa State

The next round of March Madness begins today, to see which teams will forge ahead into April's Elite 8 and Final Four.

Thursday's NCAA Sweet Sixteen games feature a matchup between second-seeded Iowa State (29-7), which has the best defensive rating of remaining teams, against No. 3 seed Illinois (28-8), which boasts the top offensive rating, according to Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency ratings.

Both are also among six remaining Sweet 16 teams with Final Four appearances, but no titles.

Iowa State’s only Final Four berth was 80 years ago.

Illinois hasn’t been to a Final Four since 2005 and has been relying on its unorthodox “booty ball” offensive actions, aimed at getting different post-ups and matchups.

It also revolves around the comradery of a group that wasn’t above embracing luck as it entered a venue adorned with shamrocks.

When senior forward Coleman Hawkins walked into the news conference along with teammates Marcus Domask and Quincy Guerrier, he noticed their name placards were in an order different than where they’d sat in their previous media sessions. He quickly changed them.

“Superstitious?” the moderator asked.

“Little bit,” Hawkins replied.

But perhaps the biggest reason for the Illini’s success on offense has been senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr., who is averaging a team-high 23.3 points per game and scored 56 points in the Illini’s first two NCAA Tournament wins over Morehead State and Duquesne.

Coach Brad Underwood said his team has done its best to adjust.

“I’ve said all along I was going to coach the guys I had in the locker room,” Underwood said. “I was going to be the best supporter of those guys that I coach every day. We had to find a way to flourish through those tough times. Then when he came back and joined us, he was a part of our team again. He has always been a great teammate. We got him back, and here we sit today.”

The rest of the Thursday lineup includes (6) Clemson vs. (2) Arizona; (5) San Diego State vs. (1) UConn; and (4) Alabama vs. (1) North Carolina.



(AP Photo Charles Rex Arbogast)