NCAA tournament preview: No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Iowa State; 9:10 p.m., Thursday

Mar. 28—LINEUPS

Illinois (28-8)StartersP Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G/F Marcus Domask Gr. 6-6 16.1 Waupun, Wis.

G Terrence Shannon Jr. Sr. 6-6 23.3 Chicago

G/F Ty Rodgers So. 6-6 6.4 Saginaw, Mich.

F Quincy Guerrier Gr. 6-8 9.8 Montreal

F Coleman Hawkins Sr. 6-10 12.3 Sacramento, Calif.

FYI: Domask really has just a single blemish on his postseason résumé the last two weeks with seven points on 2-of-11 shooting in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals against Ohio State. Even with that game included, the Illinois guard is averaging 16.6 points, 7.4 assists and six rebounds while shooting 44 percent overall, 41 percent from three-point range and 89 percent at the free-throw line in his last five games.

Off the bench

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Justin Harmon Gr. 6-4 5.8 Chicago

F/C Dain Dainja R-Jr. 6-9 6.3 Brooklyn Park, Minn.

G Luke Goode Jr. 6-7 5.8 Fort Wayne, Ind.

Iowa State (29-7)

Starters

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Tamin Lipsey So. 6-1 12.5 Ames, Iowa

G Keshon Gilbert Jr. 6-4 13.7 St. Louis

F Milan Momcilovic Fr. 6-8 11.2 Pewaukee, Wis.

F Tre King Sr. 6-7 8.9 Lexington, Ky.

F Robert Jones Sr. 6-10 7.8 Prior Lake, Minn.

FYI: A case can be made that Lipsey, who held an Illinois offer coming out of Ames, is one of the top individual defenders in the country. The Iowa State guard ranks fifth nationally in steals per game at 2.66, is second in defensive win shares (behind only Houston's Jamal Shead) and is the national leader in defensive plus/minus (just ahead of Shead).

Off the bench

P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown

G Curtis Jones Sr. 6-4 10.6 Minneapolis

F Hason Ward Sr. 6-9 6.2 St. Thomas, Barbados

G Demarion Watson So. 6-7 1.9 Maple Grove, Minn.

Details

Site: TD Garden (19,156); Boston.

Radio: Brian Barnhart (play-by-play) and former Illini Deon Thomas (analysis) will have the call on the Illini Sports Network on WDWS 1400-AM, WDWS 93.9-FM, WHMS 97.5-FM, WPXN 104.9-FM, WDAN-1490-AM and WDNL 102.1-FM.

TV: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy (analysis) and Andy Katz (sideline reports) will have the call on TBS/truTV.

Series: Illinois leads 11-3.

Last meeting: Iowa State won 84-68 on Nov. 20, 2018, in the Maui Invitational. The Cyclones, behind 26 points from Talen Horton-Tucker, outscored the Illini 50-29 in the second half for the win. Trent Frazier led Illinois with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting.

FYI: Illinois and Iowa State have never met in a postseason tournament but have played in every arena the Illini have called home — from Kenney Gym to Huff Gym to Assembly Hall.

Beat writer Scott Richey's storylines

Ability to adjust, adapt sparks Domask's big year

Brad Underwood readily acknowledges Illinois got a "really good player" when Marcus Domask transferred from Southern Illinois last spring. Domask was a day-one starter with the Salukis. He finished his four seasons in Carbondale with 1,615 points and could have flirted with the 2,000-point mark had he not missed 16 games as a sophomore. That Domask would wind up an All-Big Ten First-Team selection in his lone season with the Illini, however, was obviously not a guarantee. "He's been a professional in terms of his approach and in terms of his commitment and dedication," Underwood said of Domask. "His willingness to adjust to anything. Started as a wing. We're playing him at the point. He was a power forward at Southern. Just a really, really good basketball player, who's really honed in and been able to mentally adjust and do it at the highest levels."

TD Garden set up for shooters

Luke Goode and Domask were fans of the setup last week in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb. A bright court space with good sight lines. Soft rims. Good nets. The pair of Illinois guards went on to shoot 7 of 14 combined from three-point range in wins against Morehead State and Duquesne. The verdict after a Wednesday afternoon practice at TD Garden in Boston? "It's nice," Goode said. "You've got some of the best shooters in the world that play here. (Boston Celtics guards) Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, those guys make shots here."

Naps the go-to ahead of late-night tip

Illinois and Iowa State won't tip off until after 10 p.m. Thursday in Boston. Probably closer to 10:30 p.m. given there's a 25-minute buffer between the end of the Connecticut-San Diego State game and the nightcap. That makes for a long day to fill before the Sweet 16 matchup at TD Garden. There seemed to be a consensus for how the Illini would fill their time. "Nap," Illinois forward Quincy Guerrier said definitively. "Nap a little. Take a nap before the game, a few hours before the game. That's for me." For Domask, too, apparently. "We'll obviously get up and have shootaround, so we kind of get our bodies moving, get our minds going, and take a nap, and next thing you know, it's game time," the Illinois guard added.

The News-Gazette's pick

Illinois 80, Iowa State 76

Illinois' path to the Elite Eight has to include getting close to its season scoring average (84.6 points per game, which ranks ninth nationally). In the matchup between the No. 1 offense and the No. 1 defense, the Illini have to count on offense prevailing. It did in Omaha, Neb., in the first two rounds with Illinois outscoring Morehead State and Duquesne by 42 points combined. Iowa State will put up a tougher challenge, but Brad Underwood has been adamant teams with national championship aspirations have to score. (N-G prediction record: 32-4)