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Illinois tips off on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Duquesne. The 11-seed Dukes upset BYU in the first round.

Orange and Blue News caught up with five members of the Duquesne student media who are in Omaha to cover the Dukes in the NCAA Tournament.

Q: What are the top players for the Dukes who Illinois fans need to be aware of?

Illinois fans should look out for Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III. They both made the A-10 All-Tournament team. But it's more important to look how the team works together. The way they bond together as a team. Dae Dae is a sharp-shooter. He can hit 3's from anywhere.

Q: What has stood out about the Dukes during their 9-game winning streak?

A: Obviously, they started off kind of slow. They started off 0-5 in the conference. But th defense has been locked down in the back half of the season, and the offense is sneaky good. They can be inconsistent at time, but when they get clicking they are unstoppable.

Q: The aggressive Duquesne on-the-ball defense seemed to rattle BYU. Has that been the case all season?

A: Yes, and that has been due to the depth they have on the team. That's why we're able to outhustle everybody, because of the depth on the roster. They go eleven deep, and you don't see that very often. It gives guys the ability to be fresh at the end of the game. They all bring energy.

Q: What playing style and pace do the Dukes like to play?

They love slowing teams down. They're going to make you frustrated. That's their game plan. They're going to wear you down and make you make mistakes. They play what a lot of fans consider boring basketball. It's a very tough, old-school defensive style. They force a lot of mental errors out of the opponent.

Q: When you slow teams down, you need to be strong on the glass. What kind of rebounding team is Duquesne?

A: I would say they are a mid-level rebounding team. They get the job done. They do have some big guys who are dogs and are going to fight for rebounds. They have a lot of grit. They are very good at fighting for offensive rebounds.

Good examples of that are Fousseyni Drame and Jake DiMichele. Fous is always gong to be that guy who fights for every rebound. He frustrated BYU. DiMchele was a walk-on, and he has proved himself so much.

Q: Can the Dukes pull off the upset on Saturday? Why or why not?

They can if they hold Illinois under 70 points. They can't get into a shootout with them. They way Duquesne has played over the last 9 or 10 teams, they have been fantastic. I think this game is close. I don't think Duquesne gets blown out.