The postseason is upon us and the 8-seed Arkansas Razorbacks (20-13) have a big matchup Thursday with the 9-seed Illinois Fighting Illini (20-12) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament inside Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
Despite a rough end to their season, which featured three losses to close out the regular season and a 1-1 record at the SEC Tournament, the Razorbacks are ready to turn the page and focus on the task ahead.
"(We’re) real confident," freshman guard Anthony Black said Sunday. "We’ve got the talent, the coaching and now we’ve just got to put it all together. We’ve shown what we can do against the top teams. Even if we haven’t won the games, we’ve been pretty competitive in almost every game this season. It’s going to be about putting it all together at the right time and making a run."
Led by head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance just like the Razorbacks are under head coach Eric Musselman.
The Illini are a long team that features a projected starting five with nobody shorter than 6-feet-6-inches tall. They are led by Texas Tech transfer guard Terrence Shannon Jr., who averaged 17.1 points per game as a first team All-Big 10 performer this season.
Musselman and his staff are familiar with Shannon, who played against the Razorbacks in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament with the Red Raiders. He scored a team-high 20 points in a 68-66 loss to the Hogs, who eventually made it to the Elite Eight.
"Terrence Shannon, he’s just so versatile," Musselman said. "He’s a lefty. He can score at many different levels. He’s one of the best athletes in college basketball. He can attack the rim. He can beat people off the bounce. He’s an excellent transition player. He’s had a really, really good year for them."
Illinois' second leading scorer is Baylor transfer Matthew Mayer, a third team All-Big 10 selection, who the Razorbacks also saw in the Elite Eight during the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Mayer scored seven points and brought down three rebounds in 20 minutes of a game that saw the Bears beat Arkansas, 81-72.
"They’ve got some really good transfers," Musselman said. "It’s an excellent shot-blocking team. But anybody from the Big Ten that qualifies for the NCAA Tournament is a really good team."
The Illini ranked second in the nation in blocked shots per game (5.7) during the regular season, and their 38.1 rebounds per game ranked 29th.
Illinois was 2-11 against Quad 1 teams this season, with the two wins being early season non-conference victories over UCLA (2-seed) and Texas (2-seed). The only common opponent it has with Arkansas is Missouri, who the Illini lost to by 22 points on Dec. 22.
The Razorbacks are 0-5 all-time against Illinois, with the last meeting resulting in a 72-60 loss on Dec. 4, 2004. The Razorbacks and Illini have never played in the postseason.
Arkansas is 1-1 all time as an 8 seed against a 9. The Hogs lost to Bucknell in the 2006 tournament and beat Seton Hall in 2017.
Here's a closer look into Illinois stats, metrics, projected lineups and more ahead of Thursday's game, which is set to tipoff at 3:30 p.m. CT on TBS:
Metrics Comparison (Illinois & Arkansas)
Regular season stats comparison (national ranking)
Illinois projected starting five
#0 - G Terrence Shannon Jr. - Sr., 6'6", 225 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 32.1 min, 17.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.6 turnovers, 0.5 blocks, 44.0 fg%, 32.7 3fg%
#15 - G RJ Melendez - So., 6'7", 205 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 21.4 min, 5.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 turnovers, 0.5 blocks, 37.0 fg%, 25.3 3fg%
#24 - G/F Matthew Mayer - Gr., 6'9", 225 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 26.7 min, 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.3 turnovers, 1.3 blocks, 41.4 fg%, 33.8 3fg%
#33 - F Coleman Hawkins - Jr., 6'10", 225 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 32.4 min, 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.3 turnovers, 1.2 blocks, 44.4 fg%, 27.8 3fg%
#42 - F Dain Dainja - r-So., 6'9", 270 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 20.5 min, 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.5 turnovers, 1.2 blocks, 63.7 fg%
Other Illinois players to watch
#3 - G Jayden Epps - Fr., 6' 2”, 190 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 25.2 min, 9.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.3 turnovers, 0.2 blocks, 41.8 fg%, 30.3 3fg%
#1 - G Sencire Harris - Fr., 6' 4”, 160 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 14.5 min, 3.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 turnovers, 0.3 blocks, 43.2 fg%, 31.7 3fg%
#20 - G/F Ty Rodgers - Fr., 6'6", 200 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 17.3 min, 3.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.8 turnovers, 0.2 blocks, 51.1 fg%
#10 - G Luke Goode - So., 6'7", 200 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 12.8 min, 3.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.2 turnovers, 0.4 blocks, 48.1 fg%, 37.5 3fg%
