The Illinois Experience Marches On

Boston's TD Garden was a land of contrasts on Thursday night as Illinois' explosive offense met its biggest test of the season in Iowa State's brutally efficient defense. It wasn't always pretty but the No. 2 seed Illini overcame Terrence Shannon's foul trouble and a Cyclones' resistance that forced them to scratch and claw for every point. Led by Shannon's 29 points, the Illini are still dancing after fighting their way to a 72-69 victory and their first Elite Eight appearance since 2005.

Their reward? An even tougher challenge against UConn on Sunday evening.

"We didn't come here to win one game," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "We came here to win two."

And if any team has the firepower to take down Dan Hurley's juggernaut, it may be the one with Shannon leading the way. The senior guard was forced to the bench after he picked up his fourth foul with 11:17 remaining in regulation. Upon returning he made a clutch three-pointer to extend Illinois' lead to 59-54 and later punctuated the victory with a breakaway dunk with 24 seconds left to play.

Shannon, who went 10-for-19 from the field and made four triples, is averaging 28.3 points in the NCAA Tournament and has reached the 25-point mark in seven consecutive contests. He's the powerful engine that leads the Illini's experienced and battle-tested unit and may be the best offensive player in the country.

The biggest red flag for the Illini was that they struggled at the line, going 15-for-29 from the charity stripe. They'll have to clean that up of they want to somehow derail UConn. Yet Underwood has a starting lineup made up entirely of players 6-foot-6 or taller, four leading scorers who are at least 22 years-old, and an offensive attack that can score from inside and out.

The stage is set for a classic.

Kyle Koster is an editor at The Big Lead.