SURGING NO. 1 SEED
Illinois defeats Ohio State in overtime for Big Ten title, could face Loyola this weekend in March Madness
Illinois was still cutting down the nets in Indianapolis after a thrilling overtime victory against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament title game when the bracket was revealed for the NCAA Tournament.
The Illini will attempt to cut down another set of nets in Indy as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.
Led by All-America candidates Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn, the Illini earned the third No. 1 seed in school history and their first since 2005, when a team led by Deron Williams and Luther Head romped through March before it finally lost to North Carolina in the national championship game.
“Call me old school,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood, “but I think there’s nothing better than hearing your name and seeing it come across the screen. It’s awesome, and to see it up there” — on the Lucas Oil Stadium video boards — “after such a hard-fought game was really special. What a great moment, what a great feeling.”
The third-ranked Illini will open the tournament against Colonial Athletic Conference champ Drexel.
“Every challenge is an opportunity,” Drexel coach Zach Spiker said. “We’re going to play the Big Ten champions, and they’re going to play the Colonial champions — and we’ll see what happens.”
Tennessee’s trouble
No. 5 seed Tennessee, which won its first seven games before a midseason swoon, is making its third NCAA Tournament trip under Rick Barnes after losing to Alabama in the SEC Tournament semifinals on Saturday.
The Vols have a big question mark, though. Senior forward John Fulkerson’s status remains in question after he missed the SEC semifinal when two elbows from Florida’s Omar Payne left him with a concussion and a facial fracture.
Second chances
San Diego State, the No. 6 seed, thought it had a national title contender when it went 30-2 with one of the losses in the Mountain West Tournament title game. But a year after the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of COVID-19, the Aztecs finally get their shot after going 23-4 and beating Utah State for the conference tournament title.
“Everybody that plays for us contributes,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said, “and it’s a different player every night.”