Illinois’ second-half shift overwhelms No. 9 Iowa to advance to Final Four
Illinois basketball has just reached a new high.
HOUSTON — Forget the narratives, forget the drought. Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini just kicked the door down and cemented their names in Orange and Blue history. “It’s not just me,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood.
“It’s so many people that’ve helped along the way. ” On a historic Saturday afternoon at the Toyota Center, No. 3 seed Illinois stared down a familiar foe and a 21-year drought, physically dismantling No.
9 seed Iowa 71-59 to punch their ticket to the Final Four for the first time since the 2005 ‘Flyin Illini’ team. Underwood’s squad proved they didn’t need a hot hand to make history, instead they just needed to be the toughest team in the building. “You believe in something so much that it drives me every single day to want to make it happen,” Underwood said.
The win acts as ultimate confirmation that the late-game demons that haunted this team in December and January have been officially exorcised. The transformation to physical and defensive determination have removed the days of living and dying by the three and proved that this is a sustainable, championship-caliber team. “One of the most fulfilling moments personally that I just had,” Underwood said.
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