OMAHA, Neb. — Brad Underwood smirked and almost imperceptibly shook his head when the question was asked: What would it mean for Illinois to finally make it back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly two decades?

“If we’re fortunate,” the coach said after a long pause, “ask me then. I’ll tell you that then. Not getting too far ahead.”

Perhaps because Underwood knows the third-seeded Fighting Illini first must face perhaps the hottest team in the tournament on Saturday night in No. 11 seed Duquesne, which has won nine straight for retiring coach Keith Dambrot after dispatching BYU in the first round.

Perhaps because the Fighting Illini have served up so many letdowns over the years.

They were seeded fifth in 2009, when they were dumped by No. 12 seed Western Kentucky. They were one of the No. 1 seeds in the pandemic bubble in 2021, when they lost in the second round to eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago. And the fourth seed the following year, when they fell to No. 5 seed Houston in a game in which they never got going.

In the other semifinal at CHI Health Center, No. 2 seed Iowa State will be trying to continue a dominant postseason that included a romp past then-No. 1 Houston in the Big 12 Tournament finals. The Cyclones will be facing seventh-seeded Washington State, which was a national runner-up way back in 1941, returned to the Sweet 16 in 2008 and hasn’t been back since.

The Cyclones are trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years, yet they nevertheless keep a chip on their shoulder. That was evident Friday, when forward Tre King was ruminating about the fact that pundits picked them to finish seventh in the Big 12.

“We embrace it,” said King, who’ll have to reconcile with oddsmakers pegging them a 6.5-point favorite against the Cougars.