NCAA Tournament 2021: Buy or sell Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois and Michigan?
By Adam Childs
Illinois – Buy
The Illini are playing possibly the best basketball in the country right now. They crushed Michigan at the end of the regular season and haven’t slowed down since. They looked great in the Big Ten tournament, beating Ohio State in overtime to take the championship.
Despite not winning the Big Ten regular-season title they finished with more wins than Michigan and they are out to prove a point.
They are led by Ayo Dosunmu who is a finalist for the national player of the year and had it not been for Luka Garza of Iowa, he would have won the Big Ten player of the year.
Dosunmu makes up half of one of the top duos in the country with big man Kofi Cockburn. Between the two of them, they have the inside and outside game wrapped up. They have a great supporting cast also and can score with anyone.
They play great defense and are going to be a matchup problem for anyone in the tournament. They do have tricky games starting in the second round against Loyola, Chicago, or Georgia Tech, but they should be able to take care of them.
A tough matchup with Oklahoma State could await them in the sweet 16, but Illinois’ defense should be enough.
The bottom of the bracket isn’t exactly murderers row and the Illini match up well with any of them. West Virginia is the best bet, but we like the Illini’s chances in that game. Buy Illinois to make the Final Four.