Illinois basketball ended a nearly 20-year drought on Saturday night by smashing Duquesne and advancing to the Sweet 16. The Fighting Illini hadn't made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2005, when they advanced all the way to the title game before losing to North Carolina. Illinois coach Brad Underwood was understandably excited after the game about finally getting over the hump.
“This program is elite,” Underwood said, via the AP. “To not be there in 18, 19 years, that's mind-numbing. It feels good to be advancing with this group. This is one of my favorite teams to coach. On to Boston.”
The Illinois locker room got rowdy after the 89-63 demolition of Duquesne, with Underwood in the middle of the action:
All smiles for Illinois in the locker room after advancing to the Sweet 16 🤣#MarchMadness @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/E5mpLghsY3
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2024
Illinois basketball crushes Duquesne
The third-seeded Fighting Illini were a heavy favorite against the Dukes, and they wasted no time showing this second-round game wouldn't be competitive. Illinois never trailed and opened up a 21-point lead just over 11 minutes into the game. The margin never got closer than 18 points the rest of the game, and it got as big as 32 in the second half.
Terrence Shannon Jr. led the way with 30 points as he and his teammates pushed the pace at every opportunity, overwhelming Duquesne with speed, size and athleticism. Marcus Domask added 22 points after his first-round triple-double. Coleman Hawkins chipped in 11 points, seven boards and three assists in a strong all-around performance.
“Part of me wants to get real excited,” Hawkins said. “And a part of me wants to keep the feeling of the job’s not done yet. I’m happy making the Sweet 16. I’m aware of the history because it gets thrown in our face. The goal now is to become national champions because that’s why we’re here.”
Next up for Illinois basketball in the Sweet 16 is Iowa State, who struggled early in their second-round matchup against Washington State before taking control in the second half.
Illinois' recent March Madness heartbreak
The 2005 season was a magical one for Illinois basketball. They started the season 29-0 and then made it to the championship game, with the historic Elite Eight comeback against Arizona providing one of the most memorable moments in tournament history.
That was also the last time the Fighting Illini had made it past the first weekend of the tournament until Saturday.
Between 2005 and 2024, Illinois had eight tournament appearances end on opening weekend:
- 2006: Second-round loss to No. 5 Washington as No. 4 seed
- 2007: First-round loss to No. 5 Virginia Tech as No. 12 seed
- 2009: First-round loss to No. 12 Western Kentucky as No. 5 seed
- 2011: Second-round loss to No. 1 Kansas as No. 9 seed
- 2013: Third-round loss (when the third round was part of the first weekend) to No. 2 Miami as No. 7 seed
- 2021: Second-round loss to No. 8 Loyola as No. 1 seed
- 2022: Second-round loss to No. 5 Houston as No. 4 seed
- 2023: First-round loss to No. 8 Arkansas as No. 9 seed
It's a great feeling for Illinois basketball to finally end this drought, but as Hawkins noted, the job isn't done yet. They know they have the chance to do something special and make an even deeper run, with a potential matchup against defending champion UConn on the horizon in the Elite Eight.
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