It took a few years, but Northwestern proved 2017 was no fluke
Don't forget about all those decades when Northwestern playing in the NCAA Tournament felt like an impossible dream.
Chris Collins finally got it done in 2017, then fell back into the depths of the Big Ten to the point that people questioned his job security.
But the Cats are back. The impossible dream was accomplished again. Northwestern received its second NCAA bid and will face No. 10 Boise State at 6:35 p.m. Thursday in Sacramento (on TruTV). The winner will likely get UCLA in the second round.
Illinois was given a No. 9 seed and will play No. 8 Arkansas on at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in Des Moines (on TBS). The winner of that game will likely see No. 1 Kansas in Round 2.
After finishing 15-16 last season, Northwestern was picked to finish 13th in the Big Ten in the preseason media poll. Last year's top scorer, Pete Nance, transferred to North Carolina.
"Everyone knows coming into this year there was a lot of negativity about where we were, where we were headed, what was going on with the program," Collins said. "We never wavered. I talked about it, it was really hard to build it the first time, because when something's not been done in 80 years, it's not like there hasn't been people that haven't tried their hardest."
The 2017 squad that finally broke the NCAA drought beat Vanderbilt in the first round, then lost a competitive game against Gonzaga.
This year's team has solid senior leadership at guard between Boo Buie and Chase Audige. Beyond that, it's been a variety of contributors. The Cats can play big or small lineups and are at their best when the score stays low.
"This is a special group of guys to basically block out the outside noise and say, 'You know what, we believe in each other, we believe in our coaches, we're going to go out there and we're going to show that we can do it,' and they did," Collins said.
"We let our (2017) momentum slip. We kind of had to start from scratch again. So to build it twice at a place that has no history for basketball is pretty special. It's something that means a lot to me, because you can't do it alone."
Boise State finished in a tie for second place in the Mountain West Conference and posted a quality nonconference win over SEC runner-up Texas A&M. The Broncos' top scorers are 6-7 sophomore Tyson Degenhart (14.3) and 6-5 guard Max Rice (.415 3-point percentage), the son of head coach Leon Rice. Boise is 0-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois
Illinois has gone 1-1 in each of the last two tournaments. The Illini have been tough to figure out this season, having posted two of the Big Ten's best nonconference wins over UCLA and Texas - both No. 2 seeds in the tournament - but finished the season going 3-5 in the last eight games.
One way to look at it is the Illini may have underachieved a bit this season, which leaves room to play above its seed.
"Sometimes during the season you get stuck going through the motions, but you can't do that when you're here now," forward Coleman Hawkins said Sunday in Champaign. "Everything matters. Just getting the message across that we've got to go as hard as we can every day and not take the opportunity for granted."
Arkansas (20-13) dealt with some injuries to key players and finished tied for ninth in the SEC. The Razorbacks do have a couple of projected lottery picks in 6-5 freshman Nick Smith, who played in just 14 of 33 games, and 6-7 frosh Anthony Black. The top scorer is 6-6 junior Ricky Council IV, a Wichita State transfer, at 15.9 ppg.
The Big Ten ended up with eight teams in the tournament. Rutgers was left out, while Purdue got the No. 1 seed in the East.
The other first round Big Ten matchups are No. 4 Indiana vs. Kent State, No. 7 Michigan State vs. USC, No. 8 Iowa vs. Auburn, No. 8 Maryland vs. West Virginia, and No. 10 Penn State vs. Texas A&M.
Big East champ Marquette is the No. 2 seed in the East and will open against Vermont.
The Illini women's team received an NCAA Tournament invitation for the first time since 2003. As a No. 11 seed, Illinois will start with a play-in game against Mississippi State in South Bend. The winner will face No. 6 seed Creighton.
Missouri Valley runner-up Bradley accepted an NIT bid and will play at Wisconsin on Tuesday. Michigan and Rutgers are also in the NIT bracket.
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