Illinois vs Penn: Size Matters in March Madness

0:00On March 16, Illinois earned a number 3 seed in the South region of the NCAA Tournament and faces number 14 Penn State on Thursday at 11.40am Central Time on True TV in Greenville, South Carolina. The Alini wrapped a solid regular season at 24 and 8 before a tough big 10 tournament exit while Penn punched its ticket as Ivy League, champs with a late overtime upset over Yale. Meanwhile, Penn's first-year coach, Fran McCaffrey, brings quick turnaround magic after turning around an 8 and 19 team from last year. Fans of Illinois know him well from his Iowa days and he's now led five different programs to the tournament. The Quakers have won nine of their last 10 games, peaking just in time despite struggles against big conference foes. Key for Penn is Junior Forward TJ Power, a former five star who dropped a huge scoring night in the title game to force overtime and secure the bid. Senior Guard Cam Thorne adds steady back core play, but leading score Ethan Roberts is out with a concussion, his second this season,

1:03thinning there. Double figure threats. Penn pushed his tempo with sharp three-point shooting at nearly 39% in smart ball screens to open shooters, but they stick to man defense. Without much high over six foot nine, Illinois towers inside with superior size and athleticism, setting up a clear rebounding edge if they stay focused. Expect the aligning to handle business here with physical play and type perimeter defense. Though Penn's hot shooting keeps it interesting early, a strong start should send Illinois advancing smoothly in this March opener.