Illinois Fighting Illini Player Give Initial Thoughts On NCAA Tournament

 The Illinois Fighting Illini met with the media Wednesday on the eve of their game against Morehead State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

The Illini are the No. 3 seed while the Eagles are No. 14. Both teams are coming off winning their conference tournaments, with Illinois taking the Big Ten and Morehead capturing the Ohio Valley. 

The Illini arrived in Omaha Tuesday night but had their first press conference Wednesday. They talked about playing in perhaps the toughest regional, which includes defending champion UCONN, Iowa State, Auburn, Florida Atlantic and San Diego State. The Illini are searching for their first appearance outside the opening weekend under coach Brad Underwood. 

Here's what the Illinois players are saying: 

Illini guard Marcus Domask: "I came to Illinois to play in big games in March. It's exciting and we're just focused on getting a win." 

Illini forward Quincy Guerrier: "Last time came here was my sophomore year. I'm really just grateful for the opportunity. We're ready to roll for [Thursday]."

Illini forward Coleman Hawkins: "It's just been good to see our growth. We've been able to put some things behind us. The guys who wanted to stay have stayed. We've grown. We've gotten better. We've gotten more mature. We're ready to take on any challenge that comes our way. I think the difference between this year and last year is we've got guys that are grateful to be here."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illini Now. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com.