What Illinois HC Brad Underwood, players said about Arkansas
The 9-seed Illinois Fighting Illini are set to take on the 8-seed Arkansas Razorbacks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
Here's what Illinois head coach Brad Underwood, guard Terrence Shannon Jr. and forward Coleman Hawkins said about the Razorbacks ahead of Thursday's matchup, which is set to have a 3:30 p.m. CT tip on TBS:
UNDERWOOD
Underwood opening statement
"Excited to take on a very, very good Arkansas team," Underwood said. "Arkansas is a team that had a great year, they got a great coach, and they are electric in terms of their athleticism. In a lot of ways we're similar in that we have both had a lot of youth and some new guys. They have a couple of great guys. Muss has done a great job, a couple of Elite Eights since his arrival there. Excited to be a part of it."
On Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black
Arkansas has five-star freshman Nick Smith Jr. back and healthy, and he is likely a key part of Illinois' defensive game plan.
"Nick is an outstanding scorer," Underwood said. "He is a capable guy of getting 20 every night he steps on the court. And he can do it in a variety of ways. He can do it off catch-and-shoots, he can do it off the bounce, they're going to put you in ball screens."
Underwood added compliments on fellow freshman point guard Anthony Black.
"And Anthony does it in so many different ways," Underwood said. "He's got the length, the size, downhill he can overpower you at the rim with that length. He's got just uncanny quick hands and can bother you with steals on the defensive side. Again, he's a 6'6, 6'7 point, so they have great size on the perimeter with those two."
On top of Smith and Black, the Razorbacks also have talented threats in Davonte Davis and the Mitchell twins, who Underwood mentioned.
They have great length," Underwood said. "And, you know, I think Nick has given them an offensive punch in his return that has helped them. Then you put him with Devo and the twins and now you've got great athleticism. Those two are extremely talented, they're probably worthy of all their prospects and accolades, you know, but that doesn't mean that we can't go out and compete against them and play extremely hard."
What team that Illinois has faced compares to Arkansas athletically?
Underwood compared the Razorbacks to the 2-seeded Texas Longhorns as far as athleticism goes.
"Texas, Texas is probably the best fit," Underwood said. "I don't want to say Texas -- Texas was a little bit different because they don't play a true center, the twins are a little bit, but, yeah, athletically, they're very comparable. We don't see those lean athletes like that in terms of Black, in terms of Nick. The pace they play is very fast and the way they play. So it's different, no doubt, but Texas probably the most comparable."
PLAYERS — Coleman Hawkins and Terrence Shannon Jr.
What challenge does Arkansas present for you?
Hawkins gave a good answer about the type of challenge the Razorbacks present for the Illini.
"They're a physical team," Hawkins said. "They're real aggressive in their gaps, getting in the driving lanes, trying to steal your ball. They're aggressive in shot blocking and offensively they have multiple guys who can go out and try to get a bucket.
"So we're going to have to really guard our man. We call it "guard our yard". So really locking in on defense. Isolation ball, you know, you're one-on-one. Those are a few things we have talked about so far."
Terrence, thoughts on facing Davonte Davis again?
Shannon faced Arkansas during the 2021 tournament with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, a game the Razorbacks won 68-66 in the second round.
Davis was a freshman during that game, but Shannon said he remembers Davis well.
"Once I found out we had the Arkansas match-up, he's the first person that came to mind because he hit big shots my sophomore year when I was at Texas Tech, and he's one of the best defenders in the country," Shannon said. "So that's him. I know he can score the ball a bit. It a match-up and a challenge that I'm -- as a team we're looking for."
Shannon also mentioned that he'd like to change the outcome from the last game he played the Razorbacks.
"Honestly, I just remember losing to them," Shannon said. "I plan to get that win back tomorrow."
How can you frustrate Arkansas' young talent?
Hawkins was asked about how what the Illini can do to frustrate Arkansas' star guards in Smith and Black.
"Our job is to force tough twos, warring over ball screens set and being a presence for them the whole night, limiting open shots, forcing them to take tough twos," Hawkins said. "I think that's one of the big things, and it's not like I'm saying, oh, they can't shoot those shots. Nick Smith is capable of making tough shots.
"But I think just being a presence for them all night. Like I said, warring over ball screens and setting great screens on the offensive end and being a presence for them and making sure we're always by them."