// This is a machine generated transcript. Please report any transcription errors to will-help@illinois.edu.

[00:00:00]
Steve Morck: From Illinois Public Media, this is the 21st Show. I'm Steve Morck in for Brian Mackey. And for the entire hour today, we're going to be talking about college basketball in the 21st state. More specifically, a focus on the Illinois Fighting Illini and Illinois State Redbirds. We'll be talking about the Redbirds later in the hour, but first off, it's the Illinois men. As we speak, they are in Indianapolis preparing for their game tomorrow against the University of Kentucky in the Final Four matchup of the NCAA March Madness tournament. They're just finishing up open practice at Lucas Oil Stadium to literally a couple thousand Illini fans. It looks pretty crazy. They enter the game tomorrow with a 28-8 record on the season, and it's the first time they've made it to the Final Four since 2005 and before that, 1989. It has Illini fans across the state [and] the country in a frenzy. That was students at the University of Illinois celebrating at the alma mater statue following the Illini's Elite Eight victory over Iowa. There's lots to cover in the hour, so let's get to it. Joining me now in studio is Kurtis Allen, host of The Drive on ESPN 93.5. Kurtis, welcome to the show.

[00:01:28]
Kurtis Allen: Thank you, sir. Appreciate it.

[00:01:30]
Steve Morck: Also joining me in studio is Mazie Gierat. She's an anchor and producer for Illini Sports Night and student broadcaster for Big Ten Plus and a senior at the University of Illinois. Mazie, welcome to you as well.

[00:01:44]
Mazie Gierat: Thank you so much for having me.

[00:01:45]
Steve Morck: And last but not least, joining me via Zoom is David Pollak. He's a freelance photographer that covers Illinois sports. David, welcome to the 21st Show to you as well.

[00:01:56]
David Pollak: Thanks for having me. I'm excited.

[00:01:57]
Steve Morck: And you can join the conversation by giving us a call at 800-222-9455. That's 800-222-9455. How are you cheering on the Fighting Illini? Are you a student taking this all in for the first time? Does their current run bring back memories of '05 or 1989? Are you heading to Indy this weekend? How are you watching the game? We also asked our texting group about this, and [a listener] in Urbana said, "We are avid Illini fans. Illini basketball is the only sport I watch. Our out of town kids and grandkids are also Illini fans. We watch separately and text each other all throughout the game. We are set for Saturday." So let's get this started. Kurtis, what do you think about the men's team performance this far?

[00:02:42]
Kurtis Allen: This has been a, uh, just a blast this whole season. It was a team that, uh, coming into the year, the Balkan experiment, as a lot of people called it for Brad Underwood. They knew that, uh, experts knew this team was gonna score. They knew this was a team that could score a lot of points. I don't know if we expected this to be the number one scoring team in the country in all of college basketball. The big question mark was defense and to see this turnaround at this time in the postseason in the NCAA tournament has been nothing short of incredible. And, uh, the, the adjustments that this coaching staff has made along the way, uh, I can't say enough positive things about it, you know, for all the knocks that Brad Underwood has taken over the years, sometimes rightfully so. Uh, man, has he done a phenomenal job with this unit this year.

[00:03:31]
Steve Morck: And David, you've been on the sideline for most of the season. What has it been like seeing this team throughout the whole year?

[00:03:38]
David Pollak: Yeah, I mean, just to echo what Kurtis said, I mean, they have such an exciting energy and again, the offense piece has been so fun to watch and get great shots of dunks and 3 pointers and celebrations and then now at this point to get the defense too and get the blocks and get the stops and get the turnovers has been absolutely phenomenal. Photographing the bench, getting them all excited and riled up has been awesome.

[00:04:00]
Steve Morck: Who's been the most photogenic player?

[00:04:04]
David Pollak: I like Kylan Boswell's swagger. I think Keaton Wagler too. I mean, he has so many great moments and he's strictly business. So when you get that smile out of him, that's always the best.

[00:04:14]
Steve Morck: Have you got any good poster dunks yet?

[00:04:17]
David Pollak: I have, I have quite a few of the Ivisic brothers.

[00:04:20]
Steve Morck: They are dunkers for sure. And Mazie, in your view, who have been some of the more standout newcomers this season, much like Zvonimir?

[00:04:27]
Mazie Gierat: Yeah, Zvonimir has to be my biggest. I don't think he's really been talked about enough this season. I think he is a very consistent player for this team, even if he's not putting up more than 10 points a game like we're seeing with Keaton a lot of the times, Zvonimir has the energy he brings to this team every single game. He's probably the biggest cheerleader on that bench and on the court and defensively he's going up for every single ball at the rim.

[00:04:52]
Steve Morck: Literally and figuratively biggest cheerleader on the — he's 7-3, so he's pretty easy to pick out. Uh, what about this team's chemistry has changed compared to last year?

[00:05:02]
Mazie Gierat: Biggest thing is, I think this team is just very obviously more connected, and I think last year it was kind of like, are these guys really friends outside? Like a couple of them, sure. But as a team, they didn't seem as collective to me. This year there's a lot of natural connections if it's the Ivisic twins or if it's Kylan Boswell sounded like he recruited Andrej Stojakovic harder than Brad Underwood did. So it's those little connections and then Merk with his personality bringing it in. They just all have a huge love for basketball, a drive to win. And coming together, they love their coaching staff. I think that's a huge reason why they're in the Final Four.

[00:05:45]
Steve Morck: And right before the NCAA tournament, they had this team meeting that everyone on Twitter is now calling hashtag the meeting because it's really turned their season around.

[00:05:53]
Mazie Gierat: Yeah, it's called by freshmen David Mirkovic and Kylan Boswell. Without the coaches, the coaches didn't tell him to do it. That was all a team objective and coming off of a big loss in the Big Ten tournament. They knew they had to kind of whip themselves in shape and it is the meeting, the room where it happened.

[00:06:14]
Steve Morck: Yeah, uh, so some of our listeners might not understand why there are so many European players on the team. Kurtis, how has Underwood's recruitment efforts there paid off?

[00:06:23]
Kurtis Allen: Oh my goodness, it's, um, it's, I think it's the standard now, right? Like if you look at, uh, college coaching, coaches are always trying to find that next wave of whatever it is. Whether, you know, you can look at a guy like [Curt] Cignetti and what he did with a one-year turnaround at Indiana for their football program. Uh, but Brad really championed this move to Europe and into the Balkans. You find a lot of players that are, you know, they're college athletes, but they also have some professional experience over there. And, uh, and there's a certain lineage there too when you talk about, as Mazie just did with Andrej Stojakovic and what his dad was as an NBA player. Uh, I think it is a game changer and it's not a coincidence that now you're seeing other top tier programs. You know, we talk about the Ivisic twins or the -ic has been a joke among some of the analysts in college sports, but now you're seeing a lot of these young men from over there that have found their way to Michigan or Purdue or Arizona or whatever. You're gonna see it won't just be Illinois that has some players from Europe in the Final Four this weekend.

[00:07:31]
Steve Morck: And has there [been] any big criticism for Illinois maybe focusing on Eastern Europe as opposed to kids from Illinois?

[00:07:38]
Kurtis Allen: Um, that's a fair question. I mean, I think that's part of why it's been called an experiment. Um, you know, early in the year, there was this thought that maybe these guys didn't, I talked about the European players didn't have the same support system because their families were so far away that, uh, you know, the in-state kids did or even Keaton Wagler coming over from Kansas. And, um, I think that kind of also, uh, I'm gonna get off on a side tangent here, but it kind of speaks to what Mazie said about just how close those guys are, uh, the guys from Europe in particular. I don't know if it's a knock to not get the in-state kids necessarily. I think, um, you know, a lot of that boils down more so to the state of college basketball, NIL money and things like that, and what a budget might be for a program versus where players are being recruited. But I do think with success comes better recruiting and I wouldn't be shocked to see more in-state talent, uh, come to Illinois or choose Illinois over the next couple of years because of this run that Underwood's had.

[00:08:38]
Steve Morck: And Mazie, the men's team is not the only team that's had a run lately for basketball. The women's team also had a wonderful season this year. Can you tell us more about how Shauna Green and her team did this year?

[00:08:49]
Mazie Gierat: Yeah, they had a really, really strong season, you know, didn't end the way that they were planning on, but this is the youngest team that was in the tournament for the women's side this whole season. Destiny Jackson, Cearah Parchment, standout freshman, really led the entire team this year, which is huge. Illinois just had 5 seniors graduate, so they didn't really know where they stood going into this year. But Shauna Green has just done absolute wonders for this program. She's really preached culture here at Illinois, wanting to change that culture. And you know, it's one thing to say it, but it's another thing to do it and execute it, and she's done that really, really well. Right now it will be really interesting to see how much retention she gets. She's been successful at retention so far at Illinois, but after this year, Cearah Parchmant's going to be thrown a lot of NIL money from other schools. So kind of a test to see the loyalty there and what Shauna Green can do to keep her.

[00:09:42]
Steve Morck: It's been interesting too because retention in college sports is big with NIL. Like I think there's a lot more teams using the NIL money to retain players instead of go get new ones, and Brad has been doing that in one way and now Shauna has kind of got to latch on to that too.

[00:09:59]
Mazie Gierat: Yeah, for sure. I think especially after this year, we saw that with the seniors last year, 5 of them stuck around. But now Illinois women's basketball is making a name for themselves. They had a sellout this year against USC. That was huge. They had a huge standout performance against UCLA, the number 2 team in the country. Their head coach said, hey, this young team, you guys should stick around, really foster what you have. And I don't think that was just a call out to those young athletes. I think that was to the administration saying, you guys need to do whatever you can to keep these girls.

[00:10:34]
Steve Morck: Open the checkbook a little bit, David, what does it take to get great shots of a team during games? I know there's a lot of movement going on, so maybe locking into one thing could be tough.

[00:10:44]
David Pollak: Yeah, absolutely. It's kind of a balance. So I always try — I don't wanna like get tunnel vision and focus too much on where the ball is, actually. I kinda wanna make sure I'm looking at the celebrations on the bench, like I said earlier, like the players on the wings ready to get the ball and drain like a Jake Davis corner three, right? So kind of, it's a lot of scanning back and forth. I would say the majority is kind of following the ball movement and following the action, but trying to make sure that I'm watching like the other players' actions too. I actually saw in a game in Houston, Merk was trying to call a play by like wiggling his tongue back and forth to the other players, and it's like that was an action I got because I was following him instead of following the ball.

[00:11:21]
Steve Morck: He seems like so much fun. Yes. So we've talked about culture a lot so far. Uh, where do you see the culture among fans and other components of the games like the Marching Illini or the Illini Hoops Band, the cheerleaders, the dancers, and all that.

[00:11:37]
David Pollak: Yeah, I just, I think there's just so much spirit around the Illini, especially this season. I think like as they're getting more and more national attention, the fans are showing out in all these different places, you know, there's huge crowds in South Carolina, there are huge crowds in Houston. Um, the cheer and the band travel as well. So I mean, really just like this orange and blue family kind of surrounding the players, and I think that speaks to what we talked about earlier of that, you know, this is their family, this is their network in the United States right now. And so to have this showing of fans is huge for them and gives them that support that they need.

[00:12:08]
Steve Morck: Do you see a lot of interesting signage in the stands every once in a while?

[00:12:14]
David Pollak: I see lots of interesting signage in the stands. Uh, absolutely. There are a lot of, uh, like first time game or, um, I know there's a couple signs last year or two years ago that like, "I beat cancer twice to be here." So I mean, there's this drive and this passion from the fan base to really show out. I know I saw photos earlier of today the open practice. I mean, it's half the stadium's full just for the practice. So I mean, these Illini fans are not gonna stop at anything to be able to get to the game.

[00:12:40]
Steve Morck: When you're at these games taking photos, do you really have to concentrate on what's going on on the court? Do you kind of let your mind wander and take photos of the crowd outside, or is it just really, you're focusing on the game and trying to get what's underneath the basket you're under?

[00:12:55]
David Pollak: For these big ticket games, I try to do a lot more of the ambiance. I try to get some like outside the stadium and the fans showing up and things like that. For a routine home game, I'll really focus just on the game itself, um, but of course, like the support staff and the cheerleaders and the band, I always grab pictures of them too. Um, but then for, yeah, for games like this, I really try to get the action, the big moments, a lot of the March Madness signage and things like that. Everybody likes that blue to be in the photos as well. Um, I actually caught like a couple of timeouts where the players were having the timeout and the coaching staff were on the side as well. So again, that kind of speaks to that like player led initiative that they're working on since that Big Ten loss. Um, so again, like all those little moments in between that really help tell the story of whatever the game is.

[00:13:35]
Steve Morck: And Mazie, you're a senior here at UI. You're also a journalist. So how do you separate the journalist part of your life with the student part of your life with the team going to the Final Four?

[00:13:46]
Mazie Gierat: Honestly, sometimes it's hard, but for me it's become more easy, you know, I'm down on the sideline for a lot of these games getting video, and it's one of those things where if there's a good play, I'll clap on my leg a little bit, show a little bit of support every now and then, but, you know, just being there with the team, that's kind of enough fandom for me to do that, but also keeping the objectivity for me has been pretty easy, especially this season, you know, they're doing good. I'm going to report on them doing good, but if there's something off there, I want to see him do better. I'm gonna call him out.

[00:14:26]
Steve Morck: I mean they're, I just think of the dunk that Zvonimir had and I think that was the Sweet 16 and I don't know how you couldn't cheer for that. That was probably the most exciting play that's happened so far, maybe not so far in March Madness other than [UConn] winning on a buzzer beater, but that was quite the thing. So I'm sure there were other people on that press row at least doing a little fist bump underneath the desk.

[00:14:49]
Mazie Gierat: Oh yeah, luckily for that one, I was back here on campus, so I could cheer as loud as I wanted for that one. But yeah, no, those little special moments, you do a silent cheer to yourself and keep going.

[00:15:02]
Steve Morck: David, what's the experience been like for you?

[00:15:06]
David Pollak: I would say uh it's similar. Uh, we, you know, we try to keep quiet when you're on the baseline and shooting and things like that. But I mean, Mazie and I have been on the sidelines together for football, basketball, and every once in a while, you know, we shoot each other a look or like a smile, you know, we're excited about something that happened, but we're trying to keep it on the down low and make sure nobody saw that we were cheering right there. Um, and I think that's pretty typical for a lot of the freelancers or other Illini photographers and videographers that are there, you know, we're, of course, we're excited, we're trying to rein it in a little bit, but we're excited.

[00:15:33]
Steve Morck: Well, stick with us. We got to take a short break on the program. When we come back, it's, uh, hopefully your calls and more with David Pollak, Mazie Gierat, and Kurtis Allen on Illinois's historic run in the NCAA March Madness tournament. This is the 21st Show. Stay with us. It's the 21st Show. I'm Steve Morck in for Brian Mackey. Throughout the hour today, we're talking about college basketball across central Illinois. The Illinois men's team is in the Final Four of the March Madness tournament while over at Illinois State, both men's and women's teams have shown success in the NIT tournaments. We'll talk about the Redbirds in just a little bit, but we're finishing up our conversation on the Fighting Illini first. We've been speaking with Mazie Gierat, anchor and producer for Illini Sports Night and student broadcaster for Big Ten Plus, Kurtis Allen, host of The Drive on ESPN 93.5, and David Pollak, a freelance [photographer] that covers Illinois sports. Join in the conversation by giving us a call at 800-222-9455. That's 800-222-9455. Where are you cheering on the Fighting Illini? Are you headed to Indy? Does their current run bring back memories of '05 or 1989? And Kurtis, speaking of '05 and 1989, we're similar age. You're a little bit older than I am. What can you tell us remembering from 2005? I don't know if you remember much of 1989.

[00:17:39]
Kurtis Allen: I was a little guy. I do remember the Flying Illini. I mean, I can't remember a lot of specifics, but I was like 4 or something like that, and I remember watching those games with my dad and my mom, and, uh, Kendall Gill was my guy when I was little, you know, he was awesome, uh, but the '05 run. Uh, I remember being in my dorm and just yelling things that would make my mother blush at my TV because Sean May was getting away with so many fouls on Roger Powell. It drove me insane. But that '05 run was special and those guys were, we talked about this on the show the other day. We talked about the characters with this group like Mirk and the Ivisic twins and stuff [and] like they're funny guys, they're characters. That group in '05 were cool. Like they were the cool kids on campus. Sports Illustrated, all that stuff that that was iconic and Dee Brown doing the jersey pull and all that. Then every athlete started doing the Dee Brown jersey pull and they're still doing it 20 some years later, um, but yeah, those guys were just, they were just rock stars around here and they still are in a lot of ways, you know. Dee is still, he's Mr. Champaign. He does all sorts of great stuff in the community, so. Uh, but yeah, a very memorable time and rightfully so. It was great stuff back then.

[00:18:54]
Steve Morck: And we do have a text from Fran in Hinckley, not Fran McCaffery. "The Flying Illini didn't graduate from UI but we'll be cheering them on." So there's people all over the place, alumni and non-alumni that are cheering them on. Uh, and Mazie, what are you looking forward to for Saturday's game?

[00:19:10]
Mazie Gierat: I'm looking forward to the energy. I'm really looking forward [to it] from the fans and the team. I think they've got a lot of fire behind them right now. I mean, not only because they're on a run, but they were killed by UConn earlier this year back in December. So I think this is a big moment to get a little bit of revenge in there. They ended that [Elite Eight] run back in ['24]. So a lot of mixed emotions from the Illini over to UConn. So I think it should be [exciting].

[00:19:40]
Steve Morck: [They'd] be very happy if Illinois goes on its own 30-0 run during the game. David, you're also a teacher up in the suburbs. What do you hear from the youngest Illini fans, if there are any up in the suburbs?

[00:19:52]
David Pollak: Yes, there are quite a few. They're very excited every time I come in, uh, kind of sleepy first period. They know that I've been at the game the night before. They ask me all kinds of questions, but, uh, yeah, they've got good energy too. They're excited, they're always driving down for games as well, basketball and football. Um, they're all, I mean, the ball knowledge that some of these middle schoolers that I teach have is crazy. I mean, they know the stat lines better than I do. They know all about the players and their backgrounds and things like that, and they can reference specific plays that I've even missed. So it's a lot of fun to be able to talk to them and they've got some very big excitement for this weekend as well. I've already gotten some emails from some of those students.

[00:20:27]
Steve Morck: I remember I was a junior, I believe, or sophomore in '05. No, I would have been a freshman when the game would have been on in '05, freshman in high school when that team was going on and there were, I can't remember a ton of people latching on to the team then, but I was also in northwest suburbs. My parents didn't go to universities, so maybe there were more friends out there that did it, but are there kids in Kylan Boswell jerseys in the suburbs?

[00:20:54]
David Pollak: Yes, absolutely. Definitely not as much as uh down in Champaign, but uh there are quite a few. And again, there are a couple of kids that started the year as Illini fans, and then there are a lot that have become Illini fans. Almost my whole team were all um University of Illinois graduates. So, uh they've kind of learned how to play into the hand that they've been dealt with all their teachers. So they wear a lot of orange now. That's for sure.

[00:21:17]
Steve Morck: And the orange isn't one of the schools up there, is it?

David Pollak: It is not one of the schools.

Steve Morck: I wore a lot of orange in high school because it was orange and black for McHenry, but that's where it was for me. Uh, so you see all these students latching onto it. Do you see some of these students talking about going to UofI maybe after they're done?

[00:21:34]
David Pollak: Yeah, absolutely. Uh, they talk about that piece of it as well. So again, I've got some kids that are really focused on the sports aspect, [but] we have a lot of students, especially like 8th graders, as they start thinking about high school and next steps that they're talking about the strong academics too. Um, I'm one of the science teachers and we have a competitive science team and the kids are always talking about all the STEM offerings that University of Illinois has. So again, they are thinking big picture as well, not just the crazy Ivisic dunks and things like that.

[00:22:01]
Steve Morck: And Kurtis, what does a trip to the Final Four do for Brad Underwood's legacy at Illinois?

[00:22:05]
Kurtis Allen: Oh, I think it solidifies it, right? I mean, we're talking about pretty rare air for this program, and that's why we still talk about the Flying Illini and that '05 team, and there's an opportunity here to do something those two programs didn't do, and that's win a national title. Just getting back to the national title game is a big deal, that opportunity, so. I mean, I think Underwood will go down as one of the greats because of this run. He's had sustained success. He's had, you know, the group with Ayo and Kofi and Giorgi and those guys and Terrence Shannon Junior. You can kind of go through the list of teams he's had over his tenure, and, uh, I really think this solidifies his place among the best basketball coaches in Illini history.

[00:22:46]
Steve Morck: Where are you putting the statue?

Kurtis Allen: Where am I gonna put it? Uh, right outside the radio station where I work so we can get some foot traffic over there. I mean, that's kind of where we're at though. I mean, it's Lou Henson Court. I mean, he's the one, the other one to make it to a Final Four. Bruce Weber is on TV, but he kind of took Bill Self's team, so that's kind of where we're at. I think people are coming to grips with that because Brad has irked people the wrong way sometimes. Yeah, I don't think Brad's gonna be an analyst on TV when his coaching career is done. I don't see, uh, he can be a little too prickly sometimes, but, uh, but no, I think the statue would look great outside State Farm Center, don't you?

[00:23:25]
Steve Morck I do. I do, yeah, I really, really do. Mazie, where's the statue going for you?

[00:23:30]
Mazie Gierat: I think outside of State Farm Center or over at Ubben[,] they've got a really nice facility over there now. I could see it going there, but I will say though over to you, Kurtis[,] Brad Underwood went to school for journalism and sports broadcasting, so I don't know[,] after his career he might want to keep pursuing that[.]

[00:23:46]
Kurtis Allen: [That's] a fair point. Maybe, you know what, uh, I know Brad's gonna listen to this. So if he would like to come join us at ESPN 93.5 when his coaching career is done, [we'd] welcome him. Absolutely.

[00:23:57]
Steve Morck: Mazie, uh, the postgame celebrations for the Illini, especially after big games, are filled with water guns. I hope you're not getting soaking wet from water guns [in] the Oprah locker rooms at all, uh, but is this kind of a unique thing for Illinois?

[00:24:11]
Mazie Gierat: It's unique as of recent. We saw it back in ['24]. They made shirts [and] Christmas shirts of Brad with the water gun and everything, but I think it's unique to Illinois. A lot of people do the water bottles and everything, but if it's a trend, it's from Illinois and it's kind of one of those things[,] you see the water guns come out, you know, OK, these guys are in good spirits. They're ready to keep rolling. They're having fun.

[00:24:34]
Steve Morck: One of my more funny things that I saw on Twitter or X was David Mirkovic [perched] on top of a locker room. I'm gonna tell him not to do that anymore because [unclear: with the —]

[00:24:45]
Kurtis Allen: [With the] cowboy hat on[.]

[00:24:46]
Steve Morck: He was having the time of his life in Houston and it's so good for him that, and I'm glad that this Illini team is able to show their personalities a little bit more because there aren't open locker rooms during the season, as you guys know, so. Reporters from not just Champaign Urbana, but from across the country really are seeing this team, uh, show their personalities. Like, David, you've been capturing their personalities on the court, but they're more than just basketball players too.

[00:25:13]
David Pollak: Absolutely, yeah. I think that this open locker room idea is really fun to see. And again, all the social media things help kind of push that, push that uh story to everybody. But yeah, these guys are fun and they're having a good time. But what I like about them is again, they're able to dial in when it's time and they lock in for the games and then, yeah, they're gonna mess around with water guns and wear cowboy hats and do whatever they need to do.

[00:25:35]
Steve Morck: So the big game on Saturday is against UConn, as we've talked about before. UConn in recent memory is 2-0, at least with Dan Hurley behind the bench, uh, against Illinois, that 30-0 run in, what was that, [2022, 2024]. Um, and then this past season they lost to UConn in Madison Square Garden. Where do we see this game going [on] Saturday, Kurtis, I'll start with you.

[00:26:02]
Kurtis Allen: Uh, [these] are two very different teams now than they were back in November. And just focusing on the Illini, I mean, Miahlo Petrovich played 18 minutes in that game and I'm not trying to knock Petrovich, but I don't think he's played 18 minutes total since then. Uh, Tommy had a soft tissue injury. Uh, Andrej Stojakovic was working through some of that stuff as well. They're healthy. And defensively, what they've done is just so impressive. Uh[,] UConn is still great. I mean, at this point, everybody left is great and has an opportunity to win a national title. I just think that what Illinois is doing defensively finally really complements, you know, putting up 80+ points a night and uh I think it'll be a tight game, but I really think Illinois is gonna head to a national championship. Uh, maybe, uh, I don't know about an actual score prediction, but, you know, one of those grinded out free throw wins at the end of the game, maybe like a 4 or 5 point Illinois victory [on Saturday] night.

[00:27:00]
Steve Morck: If it follows a trend, are we gonna see a close game going in the second half then?

[00:27:04]
Kurtis Allen: I think so. I think anybody that's knocked Underwood and not being the guy that makes adjustments has been proven wrong so far in this tournament, and, uh, there would be a feeling out process. Like all three games up to this point have been. You know, low scoring in the first half and then you see them drop 40 points in the second half. So wouldn't be shocked by that at all.

[00:27:24]
Steve Morck: Mazie, what do you think for Saturday?

[00:27:26]
Mazie Gierat: Yeah, just kind of piggybacking off of Kurtis. I think this team offensively is pretty unstoppable. They're top in the nation. That's going to be huge for them, but also, flipping over onto those really close games could be ending up in a free throw battle. Illinois has done really, really good at not drawing fouls [on] them. Uh, if they can limit the amount of times UConn gets to the charity [stripe], that's going to be huge for them. It could be game changing.

[00:27:57]
Steve Morck: David, what do you think?

[00:27:58]
David Pollak: Yeah, I mean, I was there in Boston a couple of years ago when UConn did do that 30-0 run, uh, hoping for not a repeat on that one. I do think that Illinois has a little bit smarter of a team this year. I think they've got that balance of the offensive piece and then yeah, like the defense without fouling. So I'm hoping that it's a close game and Illinois pulls out the win, absolutely.

[00:28:20]
Steve Morck: Now there's another Final Four game[.] We have the University of Arizona and the University of Michigan. A lot of people are saying it's the de facto national championship game because these two teams are very big and very fast and very strong, uh, to quote Stacey King. Who do we see coming out of that Arizona and Michigan game? [Kurtis], we'll start with you[.]

[00:28:38]
Kurtis Allen: I picked, uh, when the tournament started, I picked Michigan to win it all. I, uh, and I love Arizona. I'm an Arizona fan, but [Trey] Jacks in that group, [they're] just scares me. Yeah, it's, uh, you've got 4 legitimate NBA players on that roster right now with Michigan, and, uh, [they're] a scary team. [With] all due respect to Arizona, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Michigan in the national title game[.]

[00:29:05]
Steve Morck: [And] Mazie.

[00:29:06]
Mazie Gierat: For all three of my March Madness brackets, I have Michigan winning. Same reasons[.] [T]hey're huge. They're big and scary, and [Vladislav] Maras has been really huge for that team. They're just seemingly unstoppable right now.

[00:29:20]
Steve Morck: David, are you gonna finish the trifecta here or are you gonna go with Arizona?

[00:29:23]
David Pollak: I agree with the other two. I think Michigan is kind of like an unstoppable train. Uh, they're very big. They're very strong, and it seems like they just like keep going and going and going and going. So I have them as well.

[00:29:34]
Steve Morck: So then this could potentially be the first time the Big Ten has won a national championship since Michigan State won in 2000. What does that say about the quality of [the] Big Ten basketball? And Kurtis, we'll start with you.

[00:29:47]
Kurtis Allen: Oh, I think the Big Ten's been the best conference in basketball this year. Uh, [you] can look at the ACC and there's a couple of teams that, you know, you can point at Duke or, uh, the SEC has not been a basketball powerhouse. It's been the Big Ten's year all around. And, uh, count me in for an Illini revenge tour. Let's get a W over UConn and then beat Michigan in the national championship game. I'm all in on the revenge tour, Steve.

[00:30:10]
Steve Morck: That's how my bracket ended up. I had Arizona over Michigan at one point in time, or, no, I did have Michigan winning, but it was an Illinois, Michigan national championship game with Illinois winning it all the way. Uh, what about you, Mazie?

[00:30:21]
Mazie Gierat: Yeah, I think this is huge for the Big Ten. Uh, 50% of the Elite Eight was Big Ten schools. Now 50% of Final Four is Big Ten. I think not only is it big for the publicity, but that brings in a lot of money to the Big Ten as well. That's going to be huge for their future recruiting and keeping the consistency that not only basketball this year, but football was great too. The Big Ten's on a heater right now[.]

[00:30:44]
Steve Morck: David[,] [s]ame to you.

[00:30:46]
David Pollak: Yeah, I think Big Ten, uh, when you're following the conference closely, you know it's competitive, but nobody else really sees it that way. And now that it's on the national stage and these Big Ten teams are playing well against other conferences, everybody's starting to kind of take notice, and I think it's gonna be huge for the conference. I think it's gonna bring a lot of attention to all these different schools. Uh, I agree with Kurtis. I like the revenge tour idea. Let's get Illinois all the way against Michigan.

[00:31:08]
Steve Morck: And we've got about 2 minutes left, so looking ahead towards next season, Brad Underwood's team [is] going to be very, very different. It's gonna be probably 4 new guys on the team more than likely. Where do you see them going from here?

[00:31:23]
Kurtis Allen: Um, I mean, I like [Bret] Bielema's quote that he had about how NIL money [has] kind of [evened] the playing field. [A]nd, uh, on the flip side of that, that works both ways, right? So I do expect it to be a very, very different [team], uh, and, uh, I know Mirk's gonna get paid by somebody. That's all I know for sure. And, uh, it's gonna look very different, but it's still very, very exciting.

[00:31:46]
Steve Morck: David, what do you expect for next year?

[00:31:48]
David Pollak: Yeah, I think Brad's proven that he can put these teams together with talented players. I think this is the first year where the whole team collectively is cohesive. They work together really well, but I mean, he's had years and years of star players that have gone very far either in the college or the professional scene. So I trust Brad completely to create another team that's gonna be very successful for Illinois.

[00:32:09]
Steve Morck: Mazie, as your first season as an alum next year, where do you see them going?

[00:32:13]
Mazie Gierat: Well, it's really hard to have back to back really strong seasons. Uh, we saw that back ['24] into ['25] season. So it's gonna be a challenge to keep them going on a strong streak, but I don't have any doubts that Brad can't do it.

[00:32:30]
Steve Morck: I remember when it was Illinois should just make [the] tournament and we'll be happy, and now they're potentially playing for a national championship game on Monday night. That was Mazie Gierat, and she's an anchor and producer at Illini Sports Night and student [broadcaster] for Big Ten Plus. David Pollak is a freelance photographer that covers Illinois sports, and Kurtis Allen is the host of The Drive on ESPN 93.5. Mazie, David, Kurtis, thank you for taking the time to join us on the 21st Show today.

[00:32:53]
Kurtis Allen: Thank you, man.

Mazie Gierat: Thank you.

David Pollak: Thank you.

[00:32:54]
Steve Morck: And still to come, both Illinois State men and women basketball teams made it to their NIT tournaments. We'll talk about the performance there and look back on the season after a short break. This is the 21st Show. Stay with us.