Illinois finally gets past 開始 週末 of March Madness with 89-63 大勝する of Duquesne
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Illinois fans had been waiting since 2005 for their team to get 支援する to the NCAA Tournament's 甘い 16. Their patience was finally rewarded.
Coach Brad Underwood made a point to salute the ones who …を伴ってd the team to Omaha for the first 週末 of the tournament, making his way to the 前線 of the 元気づける section after the third-seeded Illini's 89-63 victory over Duquesne on Saturday night and raising his 武器 in 祝賀.
"This program is エリート," Underwood said. "To not be there in 18, 19 years, that's mind-numbing. It feels good to be 前進するing with this group. This is one of my favorite teams to coach. On to Boston."
The Illini will play No. 2 seed Iowa 明言する／公表する in an East 地域 semifinal at TD Garden on Thursday night. The サイクロンs 前進するd with a 67-56 victory over seventh-seeded Washington 明言する／公表する.
Illinois moved on with no 演劇. Terrence Shannon Jr. 得点する／非難する／２０d 30 points, Marcus Domask 追加するd 22 and Illinois made 急速な／放蕩な work of its 11th-seeded 対抗者 from the 大西洋 10.
Illinois (28-8) hadn't made it through the first 週末 of the tournament in eight previous 外見s.
"Part of me wants to get real excited," Illini 今後 Coleman Hawkins said. "And a part of me wants to keep the feeling of the 職業's not done yet. I´m happy making the 甘い 16. I´m aware of the history because it gets thrown in our 直面する. The goal now is to become 国家の 支持する／優勝者s because that´s why we´re here."
Duquesne (25-12), which （機の）カム in on a nine-game 勝利，勝つ streak, had its first tournament 外見 since 197 7 end with its worst loss of the season that sent 65-year-old coach Keith Dambrot into 退職.
"It wasn´t やめる the way I wished it would end," Dambrot said.
Jimmy Clark III 得点する／非難する／２０d 14 points and Fousseyni Drame had 13 for Duquesne.
The Dukes, who had 得点する／非難する／２０d より小数の than 70 points in 21 of their previous 36 games, had said they would have to slow 負かす／撃墜する an Illinois team 普通の／平均（する）ing better than 84 per game to have a chance.
How did that go? Illinois was off and running in 移行 on Duquesne 行方不明になるs. The Illini led 50-26 at the half and by 32 points 中途の through the second half.
"They いじめ（る）d us tonight and we got a little frazzled," Dambrot said. "I think if we played again, we would play better. I don't think we were やめる ready for the quickness level and strength."
Not that the Illini needed it, but they also got a couple friendly bounces. Like when Marcus Domask's first 3-pointer went high off the 前線 and 支援する of the 縁 before it dropped through - a basket he celebrated with a chef's kiss and three fingers in the 空気／公表する. Or when Hawkins tried to draw a foul as he awkwardly put up a 3 and the ball banged off the backboard without 製図／抽選 アイロンをかける and he chased it 負かす／撃墜する for an 平易な putback.
Hawkins blew a kiss himself after one of his 支援する-to-支援する 3s 中途の through the first half. By then it was pretty much over. The Illini's 24-point halftime lead was their second-largest of the season and was the Dukes' biggest 赤字 at the break since they were 負かす／撃墜する 27 against Kentucky in 2016.
Dambrot ends his career with a 529-305 記録，記録的な／記録する in 26 seasons, 含むing 441-269 at 分割 I schools Duque sne, Central Michigan and Akron.
"It really didn't 事柄 what the 得点する／非難する／２０ was," Dambrot said. "It´s irrelevant because we laid a good 創立／基礎 for Duquesne to be a good program in the 未来."
UP NEXT
Illinois and Iowa 明言する／公表する will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Illinois has won nine of the last 12 会合s but lost the last two, in 2018 and 2015.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/中心/ncaa-mens-bracket and ニュース報道: https://apnews.com/中心/march-madness
