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Mar. 16—Which version of Illinois will show up this coming week in the NCAA tournament?
The Illini that got throttled by Duke? The Illini that bounced back with four straight wins? Or the Illini that were on track for another Blue Devils-esque beatdown before Maryland started pulling its starters EARLY in the second half of the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals?
It's a fair question. Consistency has been a real bugaboo for Illinois this season — even when the team is at full strength.
But the up-and-down nature of the season hasn't derailed the Illini's confidence.
"We've had two bad losses, but at the same time, we beat Michigan and Purdue," Illinois guard Kylan Boswell said. "For us, it's nothing to worry about. Like I said, we've got to watch the film, and then when we find out where we're going, we've just got to know it's win or go home. And we've got to have the right mentality when we go into March.
"I feel confident as always. I'll never not say that. Sometimes it's good though to get your butt handed to you right before you walk into March. I think (coach Brad Underwood) said that Iowa (a blowout win in the second round of the Big Ten tournament) was kind of a false reality. Maryland ... it was a shock to our central nervous system. You just can't come out there not ready to hoop at any point."
Continue reading...
The Illini that got throttled by Duke? The Illini that bounced back with four straight wins? Or the Illini that were on track for another Blue Devils-esque beatdown before Maryland started pulling its starters EARLY in the second half of the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals?
It's a fair question. Consistency has been a real bugaboo for Illinois this season — even when the team is at full strength.
But the up-and-down nature of the season hasn't derailed the Illini's confidence.
"We've had two bad losses, but at the same time, we beat Michigan and Purdue," Illinois guard Kylan Boswell said. "For us, it's nothing to worry about. Like I said, we've got to watch the film, and then when we find out where we're going, we've just got to know it's win or go home. And we've got to have the right mentality when we go into March.
"I feel confident as always. I'll never not say that. Sometimes it's good though to get your butt handed to you right before you walk into March. I think (coach Brad Underwood) said that Iowa (a blowout win in the second round of the Big Ten tournament) was kind of a false reality. Maryland ... it was a shock to our central nervous system. You just can't come out there not ready to hoop at any point."
Continue reading...
