March Madness 2024 bracket live updates: Full NCAA Tournament matchups, UConn the No. 1 overall seed

Illinois is not going to defend consistently well enough to receive my full confidence. But, boy howdy, the Illini have a preposterous amount of scoring options. Marcus Domask, a first-team All-Big Ten guard, did not play like a first-team all-league guard in the first two Big Ten tournament games. Illinois won anyway. Then Domask was probably the best player on the floor in the championship game against Wisconsin on Sunday, with a 28-point, eight-assist, seven-rebound night. Illinois won again.

“People have off nights,” Domask said after the game. “Steph Curry has off nights. When I have an off night, I just remind myself that Steph, the greatest shooter ever, has off nights. It’s just onto the next play, next possession, next game, and you just keep playing with confidence.”

There is something to be said for a team that is so good at putting the ball through the hoop that no deficit is insurmountable. Write Illinois off, at any point in the NCAA Tournament, at your own peril. There is just never a dip in scoring confidence from this group. If seeds hold, it’ll be fun to see how that holds up against, say, Iowa State’s impregnable defense.