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NCAA Basketball: Buy or sell – Final Four contenders for 2020-21 season

By Tobias Bass

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 06: Uros Plavsic #33 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after the 82-71 win over the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena on February 06, 2021 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 06: Uros Plavsic #33 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after the 82-71 win over the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena on February 06, 2021 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Justin Moore (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Justin Moore (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Illinois Fighting Illini

When you talk about the elite teams in college basketball this year, Illinois most definitely is in the conversation. Illinois plays at a high level on both ends of the floor. The team ranks 15th in offensive efficiency, scoring about 113 points every 100 trips. They are also an excellent shooting team, capable of converting from multiple locations on the floor and ranking in the top-50 in three of the four areas on the court.

They convert 38.6% of their three-pointers (12th in the nation), 65.8% of their shots around the rim (30th), and 50.6% of their total shots from the field (sixth). As for defense, they are 9th. The Illini do a good job of preventing teams from getting in the middle of the floor and taking mid-range jumpers or floaters. They only allow offenses to convert 33.2% of their mid-range jumpers.

Head coach Brad Underwood has the most clutch player in NCAA Basketball in Ayo Dosunmu. He’s played phenomenally this year, averaging 21.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 5.1 apg. Pair him with the immovable object in Kofi Cockburn and off-ball scorers Adam Miller and Trent Frazier, and this team has enough to play on the final weekend of the season.

BUY

Villanova Wildcats

Speaking of battle-tested, Villanova has missed out on playing 11 games due to COVID restrictions. According to Haslametrics Villanova ranks 10th in both offense and defense efficiency.

Villanova is also an excellent shooting team, capable of making shots from anywhere on the floor, ranking in the top-50 in three of our four primary areas on the court. They convert 39.2% of their three-pointers (ninth), 70.2% of their shots from the field (eighth), and 47.4% of their total shots from the field (34th).

The Wildcats are one of the more balanced teams in the country and have two guys in Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Collin Gillespie who can win you a game. Nova isn’t great on defense but they do a great job of getting stops without fouling. With a defensive free throw attempt rate of 17.00, they are currently rated second in the country in that category.

The Wildcats have a winning culture and they make winning plays when need be. They turn the ball the least in the country at 9.1 and are the 8th best free-throw shooting team in the country at 79.4 percent. Very rarely will a team score in transition against the Wildcats, they allow 6.85  points off of steals, which ranks #2 in the country. If the game is close, bet your money on Villanova. They are poised, tough, and know-how to finish games.

BUY

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