Illinois vs UConn: 2023-24 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule

An incredible Elite Eight matchup pits Illinois against UConn; can the Huskies continue their title defense or will the Fighting Illini keep rolling in March?

TV schedule: Saturday, March 30, 6:09 pm ET. TBS
Arena: TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts

Things have truly clicked for Illinois (29-8) in recent weeks and there are few teams playing better basketball than this squad. Since a tough outing against Purdue in early March, the Fighting Illini have won every game, winning the Big Ten Tournament in the process. They took out Morehead State and Duquesne before surviving an intense matchup with Iowa State in the Sweet Sixteen, arriving at their first Elite Eight in nineteen years.

The story of Illinois begins with Terrence Shannon Jr. (23.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg), the senior guard who’s been a scoring demon in recent weeks, with at least 26 points in all six of the Illini’s postseason games. Former Southern Illinois forward Marcus Domask (16.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg) has taken on a major role in his lone season with the Illini, both as a shooter and offensive instigator. There’s no denying that Coleman Hawkins (12.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg) is playing the best basketball of his career while former Oregon and Syracuse transfer Quincy Guerrier (9.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) plays a vital role as well.

Illinois sits 10th in KenPom through Thursday’s game and boast one of the nation’s most dynamic defenses. The Fighting Illini are 2nd in the nation in offensive efficiency and survived a critical matchup against those Cyclones, who boast the nation’s best defense. Free throw shooting has been an issue lately for this team, though Shannon is playing better basketball than any other player in the country.

They face a major challenge with Connecticut (34-3), as the defending national champions aren’t missing any beats in their bid to repeat. After blasting their way through the regular season and a Big East Tournament title, the Huskies have made very quick work of all three NCAA Tournament opponents. UConn dispatched of Stetson, Northwestern, and San Diego State in succession and certainly sit favored to get back to the Final Four.

The Huskies boast a flurry of weapons, starting with dynamic point guard Tristen Newton (15.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 6.2 apg). Fellow transfer Cam Spencer (14.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg) just scored 18 points to lead the team in the Elite Eight while Donovan Clingan (12.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg) is one of the most dominant frontcourt weapons in the nation. Another name to watch is Stephon Castle (10.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg), a stud freshman with great potential who also played well against the Aztecs, with 16 points and 11 rebounds on Thursday.

Connecticut sits atop the KenPom ratings and likely many other metrics. They boast the top offense in the country and play well on the defensive end as well. This club dominates in the paint on both sides of the ball and those guards can shoot pretty consistently as too. The whole package is one of the truly dominant teams in this sport, and they’ve certainly shown it to this point in the Big Dance.

First and foremost, with the way they’ve been playing it’s hard for anyone to bet against these Huskies. Illinois is a better and hotter opponent than they’ve seen in the Tourney field, but Clingan significantly outclasses Illinois’s frontcourt weapons. The one advantage that Illinois has is that Shannon is playing legendary basketball right now. They can win this game if he has a magnificent performance and the Illini do the little things.

But how likely is that for a team that shot poorly from the charity stripe in the Sweet Sixteen? There’s just so much talent for this Huskies’ team, it’s hard to see them falling short of another win. If Illinois can keep this game close and stay out of foul trouble then there’s certainly potential here for a classic, especially with how incredible both of these offenses have been this season. Lean towards what we’re all expecting: UConn one step closer to repeating their title.

Prediction: Connecticut 80, Illinois 73