NCAA Bracket 2011: No. 2 Notre Dame Vs. No. 10 Florida State

Sure, Kansas and Illinois are both very talented teams at the top of the Southwest Region of the 2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket. But, come on, the storyline is Bill Self’s Jayhawks meeting the program he left in 2003, only to have his successor, Bruce Weber, stage a faux funeral for him! Kansas vs. Illinois is one of the last Third Round games on the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule, tipping off from Tulsa at 8:40 p.m. Eastern on TNT with Marv Albert and Steve Kerr on the call.

Kansas’ problem all year has been focus. When the Jayhawks are on, they are nearly unbeatable; when they’re not — and it’s often — they can play ugly basketball at their opponents’ level. That was also the story of Kansas’ win against Boston in the second round: Kansas led by just four after a lethargic first 20 minutes, then found its afterburners and dusted the Terriers in the second half en route to a 19-point win. The key to Kansas routs like that is balance, and having four players in double figures — Marcus and Markieff Morris, Tyshawn Taylor, and Brady Morningstar — certainly helps stabilize Kansas on its more erratic days.

Illinois, meanwhile, made good on a questionable selection to the NCAA Tournament with a convincing win over UNLV in the Second Round. The Illini led by 22 at halftime and cruised to an 11-point victory, with Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey combining for 39 points. If those two can execute and shoot well against Kansas, no small task, Illinois will have a shot to upset the top seed in the Southwest Region. If not, it’s hard to see Illinois winning this game without significant help from a Kansas performance consisting of firing automatic weapons into its adidas kicks.

Star Watch: McCamey is the heart of the Illini offense, but is equally adept at shooting from deep and distributing assists. One thing he might not want to do is take too many twos: McCamey shoots 45.5% from inside the arc and 45.5% from outside it, numbers that make threes a much better proposition for the dynamic guard.

Prediction: Good Kansas shows up and dispatches Illinois summarily in an 82-68 win that barely seems that close.

More Reading: SB Nation’s Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk and SB Nation Kansas City has coverage of the Jayhawks’ NCAA Tournament run, while Illinois blog Hail to the Orange and SB Nation Chicago have plenty on the Illini.

Need help picking your bracket? Check out SB Nation’s full 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions, picking every game of March Madness, or our region by region breakdowns for the East Region, West Region, Southeast Region, and Southwest Region.

Did your team miss the 2011 NCAA Tournament? We have you covered: check out the 2011 NIT bracket.