The Illinois basketball team won a close one against Iowa State basketball on Thursday night, and the Fighting Illini are now going to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2005. The Fighting Illini have had some disappointing finishes to recent NCAA Tournaments, but they are playing well this year. The road is going to get much more difficult, however, as Illinois is taking on the top overall seed in the tournament, UConn basketball.

Illinois basketball will have to bring their A-game if they are going to beat UConn basketball, and one player that will need to play well is Coleman Hawkins. Unfortunately for the Fighting Illini, he is a little bit banged up, and he says he is playing at 60-70% right now because of it.

“Coleman Hawkins says he is about 60 to 70 percent healthy right now,” Jeff Goodman said in a tweet. “Been dealing with ongoing knee tendinitis much of the season.”

Hawkins a little bit banged up, but he has still been playing well recently. He will need to be at his best on Saturday night.

Illinois doesn't feel any pressure ahead of UConn clash

Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) reacts against the Iowa State Cyclones in the semifinals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden.
© Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

No one in this tournament has looked more dominant than the UConn basketball team. Going back to the start of their run last season, they haven't won a tournament game by single digits. They have beaten every team they have played soundly, but the Fighting Illini are a very tough team. Still, Hawkins feels like the pressure isn't on them.

“I don’t feel like there’s any pressure on us,” Hawkins said, according to a tweet from Jeff Goodman.

After losing in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament over and over again, this Illinois basketball team truly felt like they had unfinished business this season. Although they still have a lot to achieve, Coleman Hawkins thinks that he has done a good job backing up his claim.

“A lot of people come back to school and say they have unfinished business but what business did they start?,” Hawkins said, according to a tweet from Bret Beherns. “I think I can truly say that I've had unfinished business and I've done a good job backing that up and playing well.”

To truly settle their unfinished business, Illinois needs to at least make it to the Final Four, but their ultimate goal is to win a national championship. They can get one step closer to achieving that goal on Saturday. The Fighting Illini will tip off against UConn basketball from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts at 6:09 ET. The game will be airing on TBS, and the Huskies are currently favored by 8.5 points.