March Madness 2021: 4 teams who are elite on both offense and defense

By Matt Melton | Feb 27, 2021

PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 09: Anton Watson #22, Drew Timme #2, Joel Ayayi #11, Jalen Suggs #1, Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs walk back to the court after a timeout during the first half against the Portland Pilots at Chiles Center on January 09, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) /

5 of 5

March Madness Ayo Dosunmu Illinois Fighting Illini (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Illinois Fighting Illini

Rounding out this list is the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Illini are led by stars Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn and are one of the top teams in college basketball. Illinois is elite offensively averaging 81.3 PPG, and are led by Dosunmu averaging 21 PPG. Even though the Illini just lost Dosunmu for a few games, Illinois is still talented enough offensively to withstand his absence.

Defensively the Illini ranked 15th in the country in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. Illinois only allows 69.1 PPG, and has only allowed over 80 points in a game three times this season, two of which were against Top 25 teams. The Illini are legit both ways, and due to their star power, make Illinois a team to fear in March.

Next. Latest NCAA Roundtable. dark

All four of these teams can win a game both ways, and with the way the NCAA Tournament always plays out, these teams might just be in that situation at some point. With their elite offense and defense, these four teams should be considered favorites against any other team not on this list in March, and are all plenty capable of cutting down the nets in the coming weeks.

Home/March Madness