GREENVILLE, S.C. — VCU has been comfortable in this uncomfortable position for weeks. The Rams had to win the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament just to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
VCU (28-7) then had to dig out of a 19-point hole against North Carolina on Thursday, rallying for an 82-78 overtime win to complete the sixth-largest comeback in tournament history and the largest comeback in the first round.
So the Rams are undeterred in their bid to return to the second weekend of the tourney for the first time since their Final Four run in 2011 when they face No. 3 Illinois (25-8) in the second round of the East Region on Saturday night.
“Every time you win in March, the wins feel better and better as you go along,” VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. said. “Winning the (A-10) championship felt good. Last night felt a little bit better. I told them, if you want to feel a pretty sweet feeling, you go get No. 2 tomorrow. It will certainly be a challenge.”
VCU’s leading scorer Terrence Hill Jr. (14.9 points per game) scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Rams’ first tournament win in 10 years.
“He’s a really good player,” Martelli said. “He’s a super-hard worker. He’s got a lot of confidence, and he should. We have a lot of confidence in him. He’s primed for the moment, and you need that. You need guys that are not afraid of that moment.”
Lazar Djokovic adds 13.6 points per game for the Rams, who have faced Illinois once — an 18-point loss in Dec. 2016.
The Fighting Illini flexed plenty of muscle in their 105-70 romp over No. 14 seed Penn on Thursday with their 48-25 rebounding advantage. They also showed why they rank second nationally in KenPom.com’s offensive efficiency ratings as they drilled 15 of 36 3-point attempts (41.7%) and committed just three turnovers.
After going one-and-done in the Big Ten tournament, head coach Brad Underwood’s group had time to reset before the more important stretch of the season. Illinois is another win against a double-digit seed away from its second Sweet Sixteen appearance in 20 years.
“We’ve got our hands full against a very, very good VCU team,” Underwood said Friday. “It was very impressive watching their fight and comeback yesterday. Obviously a team that’s playing well, won their tournament and yesterday was outstanding. We felt good about last night. Did some positive things and need to carry that over to tomorrow.”
Illinois got 29 points and 17 rebounds from freshman David Mirkovic on Thursday. Underwood noted that it took a month for the Montenegro native to assimilate with high-level college basketball. Now Mirkovic is playing as well as anyone Illinois has.
“The best thing about Mirk and, really, freshmen is they continue to get better, especially those who work as hard as Mirk,” Underwood said. “Obviously he’s become one of the most valuable players not only on our team but in the Big Ten. I think it’s a tribute to his work. We’ve gotten much smarter as coaches in how to utilize him and put him in those scenarios to be successful.”
Big Ten Freshman of the Year Keaton Wagler, a consensus second-team All-American, leads the Fighting Illini with 17.9 points per game. He drilled four 3-pointers on Thursday and has range well behind the line.
Saturday’s winner advances to Washington, D.C., to play the winner of No. 2 seed Houston and No. 10 seed Texas A&M in the East Region semifinal.
