SWEET 16 PREVIEW: March 21
Midwest Region: KANSAS (1) vs. ILLINOIS (4) | Friday, 10:15 p.m. ET

What a Goliath matchup as Illinois and Kansas meet! It could be payback time for the Jayhawks; think back to last year, in the Sweet 16 in San Antonio. The Illini dominated 80-64 as Frank Williams was brilliant.

If the Fighting Illini have a chance in this year's matchup, they will need an A+ performance from Williams. He has been outstanding so far in the tournament, hitting nine of 13 trifectas while averaging 22.5 points per game. Williams cannot afford to disappear as he did in several games earlier this season.

(Drew) Gooden is without a doubt one of America's most amazing talents; he is an unbelievable offensive rebounder, and Illinois has to keep him off the glass.

Bill Self's team will rely on Williams to handle the rock, penetrating and scoring from the perimeter. He has to be superb, and his buddy Cory Bradford has to knock down some trifectas. So far in the tournament, Illinois has been solid from behind the arc, hitting 50 percent (23 of 46).

Can Robert Archibald, Lucas Johnson, Brian Cook and company neutralize the great 1-2 inside punch of Drew Gooden and Nick Collison? Gooden is without a doubt one of America's most amazing talents; he is an unbelievable offensive rebounder, and Illinois has to keep him off the glass.

Collison does a superb job of posting up opponents. I felt that Kansas had one of the most impressive performances in the tournament in its win over Stanford (Maryland had the other in its victory against Wisconsin).

One Jayhawk enjoying great success in the tournament with little fanfare is Jeff Boschee. He has hit eight of 12 3-pointers, and his outside shooting could give Illinois trouble. If he is hot, that could open up space for Gooden and Collison inside. The Jayhawks have also been impressive from long range at the Big Dance, hitting 12 of 25 (48 percent).

This is going to be one of those games that gives you goosebumps. It's a battle of two heavyweights -- can Bill Self go to the Elite Eight for the third straight year? He did it with Tulsa and as a rookie at Illinois.

Self would love to silence those critics who complained about the Illini in the middle of the year. Trust me, if Illinois wins, those critics will all go away.

My gut feeling is "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk" as Kansas finds a way with its depth. Roy Williams and company march on in an effort to get that proverbial monkey off their back. It's a step closer to the Final Four.