Illinois Coach Brad Underwood And Players Share Thoughts On Matchup Against UConn
The Illinois Fighting Illini are facing off against the UConn Huskies on Saturday for a trip to the Final Four.
Here's what Illini coach Brad Underwood and his players are saying of the matchup:
Underwood on preparing for UConn: "Well, it's early morning, and it's not overly complicated. They are who they are. We are who we are. It's a quick turn. Danny [Hurley] and his staff do an incredible job offensively. They run a lot of sets. Nothing that we haven't seen over the course of Big 10 play and postseason, we can't get too in depth, but I think we've got to hammer home some of the important aspects of what we want to try and do on both ends of the court, so we'll go to the practice court here and we'll be active in terms of covering some of those things, and it ultimately comes down to good players making plays."
Coleman Hawkins: "I feel like there's no pressure on us. I feel like it's another game. We're going to prepare the same way, we're going to practice the same way, we're going to go about film the same way. It's no pressure for us. I feel confident; I feel comfortable; it just feels like we got another game and we're grateful to be here.
Ty Rodgers: "It's another game; at the end of the day, we have to be ourselves and come to play, step up to that table, and just accept the challenge."
Marcus Domask: "UConn is a really good team, so I think our size and versatility will really help us. They beat a lot of teams on the boards and get a lot of second-chance points, so I think we just got to play really physical and keep them off the boards to give ourselves a better chance."
Quincy Guerrier: "We have to be physical, use our size, especially on the rebounding aspect of the game. They are a really good offensive rebounding team, so we'll really have to match their physicality."
Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor for Illini Now. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com
ANTHONY PASCIOLLA