March Madness 2021: Sleeper teams poised for a potential deep run

Illinois Fighting Illini

Everybody is talking about Michigan and Ohio State right now out of the Big Ten. Luka Garza’s Hawkeyes are also a fan favorite because of the way they score the ball. My Final Four threat a month ago has failed me in Wisconsin. I still wouldn’t sleep on the Badgers because they will be seeded pretty low. In the Round of 32, that two or three seed that may potentially get them should be on upset alert.

Nevertheless, my new Big Ten team is Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini. Illinois can play inside with a man-child named Kofi Cockburn, but ultimately, their guard play is why I’d want to avoid them if I was another team. Ayo Dosunmu deserves his own paragraph, so I’ll get to him next, but having a senior in Trent Frazier, while also getting energy spurts from freshmen, Andre Curbelo and Adam Miller, provides alternative ways to get Illinois where it needs to be.

Ayo Dosunmu is phenomenal. He can score, rebound, pass, and always seems to make the right play. Averaging 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, Ayo is as versatile as anybody in the nation. He may not win the Wooden Award. Heck, he may not win the Big 10 Player of the Year Award because of Luka Garza, but his impact is second to none. I have full faith and confidence in Dosunmu to lead Illinois a long way.

My one concern that I have for Illinois is playing to their competition. Struggling against the likes of Northwestern and Nebraska isn’t promising. In a one-and-done situation, they can’t have those lapses because those teams they’ll be facing off against are much better than Northwestern and Nebraska. At 15-5, Illinois is sitting pretty for a two or three seed. That could set up for a potential revenge spot against Baylor. Who wouldn’t want to see that rematch?