Wisconsin-Milwaukee vs Illinois (-10.5) - 4:25pm Pacific - Game #815-816

I see two keys to this game.  One being the guard trio of Illinois and two being the venue location.  Wisconsin-Milwaukee had success in the first two rounds against teams who were not very comfortable handling pressure and did not attack the basket with aggression.  Illinois not only has two outstanding interchangeable point guards in Dee Brown and Deron Williams, but even have a third guard in Luther Head.  All three are fast, can handle the ball, and pass extremely well.  All three are aggressive, confident, and can score from the outside or put the ball on the floor.  They will relish the expected style of play.  Meanwhile, Illinois has been working all season to be seeded #1 in the Chicago region where they will obviously enjoy a home crowd advantage.  They are now here and this is their time to shine.  Wisconsin-Milwaukee was comfortable in Ohio where they quickly became fan favorites with their upset of Alabama but this will be a whole new ball game for them.  Illinois has a +17 scoring margin for the season and won each of their tournament games thus far by 12.  This has all the makings of another double digit win.

 

Official Play: Illinois -10.5  1 UNIT