HOUSTON — From the outside looking in, Iowa coach Ben McCollum had an impression of Big Ten basketball that could only be confirmed through the experience he gleaned coaching the Hawkeyes for the first time this season.
The Hawkeyes (24-12) are on the precipice of their first Final Four appearance since 1980, but they will have to dispatch a second conference foe in as many games to achieve that milestone. After rallying from a double-digit deficit to eliminate fourth-seeded Nebraska on Thursday, Iowa will face third-seeded Illinois on Saturday in the South Region final of the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska represented half of the six Big Ten teams that reached the Sweet 16, with the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes the lowest-seeded Big Ten program ever to advance this deep into the NCAA Tournament.
McCollum, who coached at Drake before taking the Iowa job, knew that he faced a stiff challenge at Iowa based on the pedigree and depth of the Big Ten.
“Going into the Big Ten, I was always curious as to what it was,” McCollum said. ” … I guess the team we’re about to play doesn’t have as many four-year guys, but the Purdues of the world, the Michigan States have guys that have been in the program a little more consistently.
“Then you’ve got really good coaching, and obviously, (Illinois) coach (Brad) Underwood did a great job of recruiting to his personnel. Wisconsin did a great job of that. A lot of these teams in the Big Ten understand what they need, they understand who they are as coaches, and then they recruit to it and they get the right players for their system. So it becomes very difficult.”
Illinois (27-8), in pursuit of its sixth Final Four appearance and first since 2005, relied on its unique identity to vanquish second-seeded Houston on Thursday. While freshmen David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler produced double-doubles despite their relative inexperience, the Fighting Illini received steadying performances from upperclassmen Andrej Stojakovic, Jake Davis and Tomislav Ivisic to outlast the favored Cougars in what was essentially a road contest.
Tenacity was Illinois’ guide. The Illini tightened the screws defensively and outworked the Cougars on the glass, confirming their reputation as a tough-minded group and negating any assumption that the nation’s second-most efficient offense couldn’t get down and dirty if needed.
“I think that there’s a tremendous focus,” Underwood said of Illinois’ defensive improvement of late. “I think there’s a maturity. … We’ve been very specific about how we want to do some certain things. And then watching film of (Thursday) night’s game, I thought the most impressive thing was I didn’t feel like there was one possession that we were off.
“I thought we had the mental turned up and there weren’t a lot of scouting report mistakes.”
Iowa has watched the same film and knows that a physical battle awaits. Life in the Big Ten has prepared them for what’s ahead, and the Hawkeyes are embracing the chore.
“I think we’ve all got to be ready to go,” Iowa honorable mention All-American guard Bennett Stirtz said. “They crash five and they’re the best rebounding team in the Big Ten. So we had some challenges last game and we definitely got to be ready to go. It starts with the bigs, but it also starts with the guards.
“Keaton had 12 rebounds, so me, Kael (Combs), and the other guys, Tate (Sage) — we really got to be ready to go, and it’s not even take one possession off. You got to do it every possession.”
The Illini went on the road and won the only matchup between the teams this season 75-69 on Jan. 11.
