The Big Dance starts for No. 3 Illinois on Thursday night in Greenville, South Carolina, as it takes on No. 14 Penn in the first round. The Quakers won the Ivy League conference tournament to qualify, making their first appearance in March Madness since 2018.

“We’re just thrilled to be here,” said Penn head coach Fran McCaffery. “Everybody says the same thing, but it is truly an honor and tremendous accomplishment by our players. Couldn’t be more proud and excited to be back in this building.”

For Illinois, Thursday is the start of what it hopes to be a run to the ultimate prize: a national championship. A week off since an early exit in the Big Ten tournament has been a reset, and now, the Illini are ready to get rolling.

“I like the position we’re in,” said graduate student forward Ben Humrichous. “I like the head space we’re in. We got a lot of really great days on the court together, making sure we get some time for our bodies and our minds. I’m excited for what we do in this tournament.”

Quakers not at full strength

Unfortunately for Penn, it will not have its full arsenal ready to deploy against Illinois on Thursday evening. Leading scorer, senior guard Ethan Roberts, will not play in the tournament after suffering a concussion. 

“I thought Ethan Roberts is a special player, and we’re all so disappointed for him because he really was an integral part in helping us get here,” McCaffery said. “But when you’ve had your second concussion, it’s not something that you mess with. His health and welfare is our priority.”

While Roberts is definitely out, Penn’s other star, junior forward TJ Power, is questionable with an illness. McCaffery is hoping that Power will play, but he did not practice on Wednesday in Greenville. Coming off a 44-point outburst in the Ivy League championship game, Power is a key part of the Quaker offense. Illini head coach Brad Underwood is staying ready as if Power will play, even if he’s sick.

“I would assume that (Power) will be participating, but I always tell our players I had the best game of my high school career with 102 degree fever,” Underwood said. “When somebody gets sick, it scares me to death. I hope he’s not in a position to have the greatest of his career coming off a 44-point game.”

Even with Roberts sidelined and Power’s status up in the air, the Illini are preparing the same for the Quakers. They are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, and their other players can step up when needed and make a big impact. 

“I feel terrible for Ethan,” Underwood said. “You hate for a senior that’s had just an outstanding career … they won a tournament without him. Their backup did a heck of a job and had 19, I think, in the championship game.”

Rebounding, controlling the paint

Size and physicality is the immediate point of difference that comes to mind between the two programs. It’s something the Quakers are ready to tackle, and they know it will be a focal point of the game.

“I think the biggest key is rebounding,” said Penn senior guard Cam Thrower. “They have a lot of size up front, and our job is to box out and make sure that we hold them to one shot and ultimately not letting them get into a rhythm of moving the ball side to side and letting them feel comfortable.”

Illinois is one of the top rebounding teams in the country. However, it has struggled with a consistent effort on the glass across a 40-minute game as of late. Illinois needs to be ready to assert itself down low and put to rest the question that keeps coming up from fans: Is the team soft when it matters? 

Underwood and his players have been working hard to dispel that notion and get back to the hard-nosed, tough identity that he aims for his teams to have.

“Saturday (practice) was really intense … it was rebounding stuff,” Underwood said. “Then the accountability piece to that was brought up. The numbers were put behind that from our last few games. … It’s not just one person, it’s our collective group. I think we’re third in the country in rebounding, and yet it’s cost us in certain games. We have to find that magic back and that eagerness and that second and third effort on the glass.”

Penn’s got real shooters

The Quakers enter Thursday’s matchup not only as the No. 14 seed, but also the No. 14-ranked 3-point shooting team in the country at 38.61%. 

Two of their best shooters are the injured Roberts (40.1%) and questionable Power (43.3%), but they’ve got more up their sleeve. Thrower and senior guard Michael Zanoni shoot 41.7% and 39% from deep, respectively, giving Penn a pair of other threats from deep. If Powers does play, a three-headed monster of consistent, high-volume sharpshooters will be a real threat that will really test Illinois’ defensive capabilities.

“Another big thing for us is getting out and running,” Zanoni said. “Obviously we have shooters, so taking advantage of that and their size and getting down the floor and beating them to spots is going to be a big deal for us.”

For Illinois, cutting off good shots at the 3-point line will be a key in stopping Penn’s offense. If the Illini can force the Quakers to get inside, their positional size and very tall front line should be able to prevent any quality shots around the rim. 

Defend the three — that’s the name of the game. If the Illini can do that, their prolific offense on the other end should be enough to create a comfortable lead. However, all shooters can get hot and go on a run at any moment, so Illinois needs to be intentional on defense for 40 minutes and not take any plays off.

“One of the biggest things is their ability to shoot for sure,” said Illinois senior guard Kylan Boswell. “They can stretch the ball out in a lot of off-ball actions. The priority for us is our communication and mental focus coming into this game will be huge.”

A surreal moment

For Illinois, multiple key players are making their March Madness debuts. Freshman guard Keaton Wagler and freshman forward David Mirković, as well as junior wing Andrej Stojaković, will all walk onto the biggest stage in college sports as key pieces for an Illini team hoping to go far in March. They’ve had national attention all year, but none of that matters now — it’s win or go home, and they want to keep dancing.

“I think I’m most looking forward to just try to have a lot of fun with it and make a deep run,” Wagler said. “It’s going to be super special to be able to play with my teammates. This is one of my favorite teams I’ve ever been a part of, and I just know how special of a team we are.”

On the other hand, Penn is not used to the attention and spotlight that comes from being in March Madness. The Quakers, unlike the Illini, don’t charter flights during the season, but they took their first charter of the year to Greenville. Everything about the tournament is different, and it’s a stage that every player on the team is excited for.

“I think that’s kind of every hooper’s dream is to go play in front of 500-some-thousand people that watch the Ivy League championship and the millions that are going to watch this game,” said Penn sophomore guard AJ Levine. “I think it’s just exciting … It makes you want to show what you can do and your ability and showcase that to the whole world. Really, it’s just a dream come true, and it’s making me want to play harder than I already do.”

For Zanoni, it’s more of the same feelings, with a little Champaign twist.

“I think it’s a great opportunity and something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid,” Zanoni said. “My parents actually met at Illinois. So I was super excited when we drew them.”

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