Scouting Illinois vs. Kansas

Posted March 19, 2011 12:00 am

Lindsey Willhite

Illinois (20-13) vs. Kansas (33-2)

When: 7:40 p.m. at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

TV: TNT

Online: NCAA.com/MMOD

Radio: WIND 560-AM

The skinny: As Illinois seeks its first Sweet 16 bid since the run to the 2005 national championship game, the ninth-seeded Illini don’t view the Jayhawks as impregnable. Recent history suggests as much as Northern Iowa toppled top-seeded Kansas in last year’s round of 32. To equal that feat, Illinois must approximate its offensive efficiency in Friday’s 11-point win over UNLV. The Illini shot 60 percent overall and 7 of 13 on 3-pointers. With Kansas’ size inside, the Illini might need to depend more on their 3-point accuracy. Senior point guard Demetri McCamey has been hot from the arc over the last eight games (23 of 53), but D.J. Richardson’s pair of 3-pointers down the stretch against UNLV might have been more important because they snapped a long slump. Also remember that Illinois is 15-0 when McCamey earns at least 7 assists. “When we move the ball and space and don’t dribble,” said Bruce Weber, “we’re a very, very good team. There’s no doubt about it.”

Advancement: The winner gets 12th-seeded Richmond in a Southwest regional Sweet 16 game on Friday at San Antonio.

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