After a sluggish start, Illinois quickly regained form and dispatched Drexel, powered by Andre Curbelo’s entry into the game that quickly gave the Illini a 9-8 lead soon after that they would never surrender.
While other higher-seeded teams like Arkansas and Ohio State played sluggishly for long stretches of their opening round games, the Illini turned in an impressive performance and proved worthy of their top seeding. The triple wasn’t a featured part of the offense in this one, but it didn’t need to be. They imposed their will on the Dragons, owning the paint offensively and locking things down defensively.