Notre Dame (4-2)
All-time: 27-13 (last #22 Notre Dame 68 – #11 Illinois 60, 3/22/2003)
Tip-off: 8:15 pm at the newly renovated State Farm Center
TV: ESPN 2
Illinois (3-4) looked the best it has all year during the Emerald Coast Classic. The return of Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate were a huge boost to the team, helping them pick up what felt like a vintage win over UAB and then hang with a top-five team in Iowa State for most of the championship game.
But Illinois can’t have nice things, which you ought to know by now, and center Mike Thorne Jr., who has been terrific this season, tore his meniscus against the Cyclones and is now out indefinitely. Because his tear was of a different nature than Leron Black’s, this could be a season (or even career) ender for Thorne. Which, just… geeze. This’ll be a hell of a way to kick-off life in the brand new State Farm Center.
Without its tallest and most physically dominating player, Illinois’ first opponent the team gets features a future NBA forward. (If you don’t feel like there’s some cosmic joke going on this year with Illinois then you’re crazier than me.) Zach Auguste, the best prospect on the Notre Dame roster, is a bruiser, averaging a double-double (13.8 points, 10.7 rebounds), and has developed a left-hand shot to go with his unstoppable right. But he’s not the only one eyeing the NBA for the Irish; point guard Demetrius Jackson has shown so far that he’s up there with Kris Dunn (Providence) and Monte Morris (Iowa State) in a class of elite floor marshalls. Jackson has 18.3 points and 4.5 assists per game to his name so far and has played more minutes than any other Irish player.
Losses to Monmouth and Alabama have dropped Notre Dame from the top 25, but that could just be a blip in their season. The entire starting lineup for the Irish work hard and they’ll fight to make waves in the NCAA Tourney again this year.
Predicted starting lineups
Zach Auguste, forward; V. J. Beachem, forward; Bonzie Colson, forward; Steve Vasturia, guard; Demetrius Jackson, guard
Leron Black, forward; Michael Finke, forward; Malcolm Hill, guard; Kendrick Nunn, guard; Jaylon Tate, guard
Bold prediction
This was “Gut feeling,” but my gut sucks and was wrong about everything pretty much. So now I’m giving a bold prediction, because those are meant to be mostly inaccurate. Anyway, I think Illinois hangs in this one and it finishes close. I’ll stop short of thinking victory here, but being in Champaign for the first time this year, with students crowding the court more than ever, I think could really be a boost for the Illini. Hell, it may make them play a little better than they should without Thorne. We’ll see.
Photo from Associated Press.