Not many teams have shocked the college basketball world quite like Illinois this season. After a bit of a sluggish start to the year, there isn’t a hotter team in the B1G than Brad Underwood’s bunch.

And for that, college basketball expert Andy Katz believes the Illini have a legitimate chance to get to Atlanta for the Final Four.

“In this season, this Illinois team has just a good of a chance as, I would argue, 10 to 15 others to get to Atlanta,” Katz said. “The reason is…Kofi Cockburn and Giorgi Bezhanishvili. Few teams have a tandem like that. Cockburn is a monster inside that you just can’t get around him. …Bezhanishvili can score from free throw extended, he loves that mid-range game. And on the perimeter, Ayo Dosunmu…Trent Frazier, he’s a big shot maker. They’ve got all the pieces.”

Illinois has won six-straight B1G games and currently sits at 7-2 in conference play, just a half-game behind Michigan State for first place. On the season, the Illini are 15-5 overall and are ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll.

This college basketball season has been lacking a true dominant power and Illinois has come on strong as of late. It should be fun to see what this team can do when March arrives.