Illinois Crushes Penn, Advances to NCAA Tournament

0:00On March 20th, Illinois blew out Penn-15 to 70 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, grabbing a spot in the second round against the BCU. The third-seeded Illinois built a 10-point half-time lead and ported on after the break with their deep offense. Freshman David Merkavik and Keaton Wagler starred in their tournament debut. Merkavid dropped 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while Wagler added 18 points, 7 boards, and 7 assists. Wagler's chipped in two, helping shut down Penn's top score. Fans at the arena finally caught a breath after three tight games earlier that day. TCU edged Ohio State, Sienna pushed due card, and BCU outlasted North Carolina in overtime. Illinois needed this easy win after dropping their big 10 tournament opener to Wisconsin. BCU staged a huge comeback from 19 down to B-North Carolina, 82-78. Tarantill Jr. led with 34 points, including the game winners in overtime. That sets up a fun matchup Saturday.

1:01Illinois looks like their 24-win regular season team again, ready to roll deeper into March madness.