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NCAA Basketball: 10 most compelling 1st round 2023 NCAA Tournament matchups

By Terrence Jordan

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 11: Kyle Filipowski #30 reacts after a basket by Jeremy Roach #3 of the Duke Blue Devils against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half of the ACC Basketball Tournament Championship game at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Duke won 59-49. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 11: Kyle Filipowski #30 reacts after a basket by Jeremy Roach #3 of the Duke Blue Devils against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half of the ACC Basketball Tournament Championship game at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Duke won 59-49. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Tournament Eric Musselman of the Arkansas Razorbacks (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NCAA Tournament Eric Musselman of the Arkansas Razorbacks (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Arkansas (8) vs. Illinois (9)

This year’s 8/9 games are really fun. One of two that feature a Big Ten-SEC matchup, Arkansas vs. Illinois pits two teams that have more talent than their seeds would suggest.

The Razorbacks have reached the Elite Eight in back-to-back years but struggled for most of this season. After being ranked 10th nationally in the preseason AP poll, Eric Musselman’s bunch only managed to finish 10th in the SEC, dropping six of nine to end the season.

Even though Illinois lost First-Team All-American Kofi Cockburn coming into the year, they still had high hopes, thanks to a wave of transfers from the Big 12 that included Terrence Shannon, Jr. of Texas Tech and Baylor forwards Matthew Mayer and Dain Dainja. The Illini have shown flashes of greatness, touting wins over UCLA and Texas in non-conference play, but the Big Ten grind brought them down, and they finished 4-6 in their final 10.

Arkansas plays a frenetic style that is difficult to prepare for. Despite losing their top three players from last year, the roster still has plenty of talent. Ricky Council IV and Nick Smith, Jr. are both athletes that can score, but the Razorbacks also have three others that average double figures. They’re great at defending the perimeter, the only problem is they can’t shoot it from deep, either. Luckily for them, Illinois is even worse in that regard.

Brad Underwood’s group is led by Terrence Shannon, but his contributions haven’t always been enough this year. He led the way with 29 to beat UCLA in November, but the Illini wasted Shannon’s 22 against Missouri, 26 against Indiana, and 20 at Penn State in decisive losses.

The teams have a lot of similarities that extend beyond poor three-point shooting and limping to the finish line. Arkansas both shoots and allows a lot of free throws, but they aren’t great at making them, shooting under 70%. Illinois is also mediocre at the line, shooting 68%. Both teams have very good defenses and block a lot of shots.

Neither team is playing all that well right now, but both rosters have quality coaches and a lot of talent. If one of them can reach their potential, the chance is there for the winner of this game to give Kansas everything it can handle in the second round.

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