MILWAUKEE — What, you don’t think 6 seed Illinois is in danger right off the bat against 11 seed Xavier?
An upset could happen. And as upsets go, it’s not like it would be a big one. The Illini (21-12) — even with a closer-to-home-court advantage a three-and-a-half-hour drive from State Farm Center — are favored against the Musketeers (22-11) by a measly 3½ points.
The more one looks at Xavier, which went 13-7 in the Big East — nothing wrong with that — the more one finds to like. Three reasons Illini fans should be concerned:
1. The X-Men can hang: They split with UConn this season, losing on the road in overtime. They were 1-2 against Marquette — winning right here at Fiserv Forum — with each of those games decided by two points. They split with Creighton. They took the Big East’s biggest bopper, St. John’s, to overtime in New York. Does that sound like a team that will be intimidated by the Illini’s young talent?
2. Quality offense: The Musketeers rank sixth in the nation in three-point percentage (.391). They’re ninth in fastbreak points per game (15.2) and 10th with a 79.0% clip from the foul line. They’re 17th nationally in assists per game (16.9). Rather like Wisconsin and Iowa, this team will push the ball up the floor and let the first open look from three fly. The next scoring blitz could spark at any moment.
3. Down but not out: This team has the comeback gene, which Texas learned the hard way in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
“It’s the badge of this group,” coach Sean Miller said. “Right when you think you’re going to count us out, we win. Right when you think things aren’t going to go well, we have found a way. I think that’s a great characteristic in any NCAA Tournament, and we certainly have that.”