Now, Illinois, a No. 3 seed, and UConn, a No. 1 seed, will meet in March Madness for the first time
The Illini’s defense helped put them one victory away from the Final Four.
“When you face the No. 1 defense, you know they’re not No. 1 because they’re soft or they lack effort,” Illini coach Brad Underwood said. “I also knew they’d come out and punch or counterpunch, and they did that.” Curtis Jones scored 26 points and Keshon Gilbert had 14 for Iowa State, which came into March Madness having blown out Houston for the Big 12 Tournament title.
Jones was fouled on a 3-point attempt and dropped in all three free throws to make it 70-67, but Shannon calmly made two foul shots with 6 seconds left. Gilbert then got a steal — one of Iowa State’s 11 — and sprinted in for a potential tying layup, but it rolled off the rim. Illinois entered the night with the top offensive efficiency rating in the tournament, but it was its defense that stood out at the outset.
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