Illinois looking to 'let hair down' in NCAA opener vs. Arkansas
Illinois is heading back to the NCAA Tournament, and that was the goal at the first practice back in late September.
"You've got to enjoy this," Illinois coach Brad Underwood told reporters. "We've got guys that understand the abruptness of the end. I've used that term a lot. You just go home if you don't play well. There's nothing to lose, so you need to go have fun and play hard.
"There's no pressure on us. We just need to go let our hair down, so to speak, and go play like we're capable."
After losing two of their last three conference games and falling to Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Fighting Illini do not appear to be equipped for a deep NCAA run.
Not only is Illinois entering March Madness with a lack of momentum, it's facing a difficult draw.
The No. 9 seeded Illini (20-12, 11-9 in the Big Ten) play No. 8 Arkansas (20-13, 8-9 in the SEC) in the West Region opener at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon at Des Moines, Iowa.
Should Illinois get past the Razorbacks, No. 1 seed Kansas is very likely waiting in the second round.
As Underwood said, there's no pressure on a team that beat second-ranked Texas and No. 8 UCLA earlier in the season before bogging down in conference play.
"If we lock in and play defense the way we know we can, we'll be fine," guard Terrence Shannon Jr. said.
A Chicago native and Texas Tech transfer, Shannon leads Illinois in scoring at 17.1 points per games.
Another transfer, Matthew Mayer, is second in scoring at 12.8 ppg.
"Certainly Illinois is really well-coached," Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. "They have some guys that we've played before, like Terrence Shannon, who was at Texas Tech. And obviously Matthew Mayer from Baylor. They've got some really good transfers.
"It's an excellent shot-blocking team. But anybody from the Big Ten that qualifies for the NCAA Tournament is a really good team."
The Illini and Razorbacks are two of the worst 3-point shooting teams in college basketball, so it should be a defensive battle.
Arkansas, which has lost four of its last five games, is led by a backcourt featuring Nick Smith Jr., Ricky Council and Anthony Black. The trio averages 43 points a game.
Illinois is 5-0 all-time against the Razorbacks. The two schools play for the first time since 2004.
"You've got to believe you can win," Underwood said. "You've got to come here and believe it's zero-zero. Everything you do to this point is to get you to this point. You know, the 20-game grind of a Big Ten season and sellout crowds in every venue, the familiarity is now completely different. We're in the NCAA Tournament, and it's a new team, it's a different team, it's a different style, it's a different name we don't hear every time we turn on a TV.
"There is a sense of excitement with that. I also want our players to understand that you've got to enjoy this moment. I sure don't take this for granted. I don't want our players to do that. I want them to enjoy it."