Four teams with many Chicagoans to vie for Final Four spot in Midwest Regional at United Center
CHICAGO (CBS) -- March Madness continued Thursday with the Sweet 16, and while there are no local teams left, the tournament is being played in Chicago.
Four teams are vying for a Final Four spot in Midwest Regional at the United Center, and there is also plenty for Chicago basketball fans to root on here at the United Center.
Corliss High School alum George Corbitt is a key contributor for the Iowa State Cyclones. They'll take on Morgan Park alum Charlie Moore and the University of Miami in the late game Friday night.
Kansas also has plenty of Chicago connections. Along with Joseph Yesufu, a Bolingbrook alum, is super-senior Jalen Coleman-Lands. Coleman-Lands, who also played for Illinois, was teammates with Charlie Moore for two seasons at DePaul.
Both have taken advantage of the new looser transfer rules and the extra year of eligibility from COVID playing key roles for successful teams.
For both Moore and Coleman-Lands, this is stop number four. And what a way for the two friends to close things out, back in Chicago, playing for a chance to go to the Final Four.
"We're rooting each other on. Like we know how hard we worked on the court and off the court, and like what Charlie even means to Chicago and the city – and playing along sides like that – but I still keep in contact Charlie and I root him on," said Coleman-Lands.
"It's a blessing to play here. You know, I'm from Chicago. I grew up watching Chicago basketball; grew up going to the games, and to actually now be playing on the court, you know, with my teammates, is amazing," Moore said.
This is all familiar territory for Kansas and their head coach Bill Self, both in the tournament and the location.
Self, who coached the Illini from 2000 to 2003, has been in the Sweet 16 thirteen times - winning 10 of those games. He also has great memories of big games at the UC.
"When I was in Champaign, of course, we came to the city a lot – and you guys don't care about this, but since you asked – every time driving up and seeing the skyline, I used to think, man, there is some stuff getting done in this city. This is where action happens – whether it be recruiting, business, or whatever," Self said, "and I always liked that. I love Chicago. We had some great games here when I coached in the United Center, and the Illini certainly supported us; the fans certainly supported us in an unbelievable way in this building. So I have some great memories of the United Center.
Interestingly, Self had some doubt about making the move from Illinois to Kansas. He has, of course, been super-successful at Kansas, but it has been 14 years since he won his only title at KU - which counts as a drought in Kansas basketball time.
