Instant Recap: Illinois advances to the Sweet Sixteen with dominant win over Duquense
OMAHA, Neb. - In a game where Illinois basketball has historically faltered for the last 19 years, the Illini left no doubt on Saturday.
With an 89-63 win over No. 11-seeded Duquense, Illinois advances out of the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32 for the first time since the 2005 season and clinches a spot in the NCAA tournament's Sweet Sixteen.
It's the first Sweet Sixteen berth for Illinois since the 2005 season.
Illinois was all over the Dukes from the beginning of the game. After the first 13 minutes of the game, Illinois led by an astounding 36-13 score.
Duquense, fresh off an upset of No. 6-seeded BYU, couldn't find the same momentum as it had against the Cougars.
Here's how the Illini's win played out in Omaha.
Why Illinois won
It's easy to keep this one as simple as possible: The Illini were just better.
Illinois led 50-26 at halftime. Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask and Coleman Hawkins provided plenty of mismatches for Illinois to exploit.
Duquense, which plays a slower brand of basketball, could not keep up with Illinois.
The Illini are bigger and faster, and they showcased that on Saturday. Illinois had 16 points in transition, doing major damage before the Dukes could set up their defense.
Duquense's offense wasn't bad by any means. Illinois' offense was just more effective from the opening tip to the end of the game. The Illini shot over 60 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from 3-point range as a team.
That was consistent. It never gave the Dukes a chance to rally.
When the Dukes made a mistake, the Illini made them pay in transition and with their passing. Duquense did not have an answer.
It was over when…
With 6:50 left in the game, Illinois was up 24 points.
Before that, the Illini were up 30. They smothered the Dukes and left no room for doubt.
It didn't take long for Illinois to show it was going to advance out of the Round of 32.
Who starred
It was the usual players for Illinois.
Shannon Jr., Domask and Hawkins all finished the game in double figures. They played their roles nearly perfectly against a Duqense team and sank the Dukes easily. Shannon finished with a 30-point outing.
Dain Dainja kept his hit streak going, too. At one point, he had made 19 consecutive field goals dating back to the Big Ten Tournament. His emergence could be a reason Illinois continues to the Elite Eight.
What it means
This is the first Sweet Sixteen appearance for Illinois since the team's run to the national championship game in 2005.
Yes, it's been that long.
Illinois has made it to the Round of 32 plenty of times since that electric season, but now the Illini are finally back making a deep postseason run under Brad Underwood.
Underwood, in his seventh season as the Illini head coach, will head to his first-ever Sweet Sixteen as a head coach.
It's a historic Saturday for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
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