Just like that, the regular season is over for the Illinois basketball team, but the fun is just beginning.
Now we wait to see how the Illini fare in the Big Ten Tournament before learning their NCAA tournament fate on Selection Sunday. Has Illinois done enough thus far to earn a respectable seeding?
Illinois dropped its final game of the season to the Big Ten’s No. 1 seed Purdue after an incredible 24-point rally fell just short in West Lafayette. The Illini finished at a respectable 20-11 overall and 11-9 in the Big Ten, placing fifth in the conference.
The Illini will take on 10-seed Penn State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT in the second round of the conference tournament. With a win, a date with No. 2 Northwestern awaits.
Where does the Illinois basketball team land in the latest bracketology
March 7, 2023: Mike DeCourcy, FOX Sports
In Decourcy’s projection, he has Illinois as an 8-seed facing 9-seed North Carolina State in the first round. The Illini would obviously be favored given the seedings, but it would not be an easy first-round matchup.
The Wolfpack finished 6th in the ACC, picking up key wins against No. 14 Miami, No. 21 Duke, and North Carolina. They nearly swept Duke, falling to the Blue Devils by just four points in their final regular season game.
With a win, the Illini would take on No. 1 UCLA, the nation’s second-ranked team, in the round of 32. A familiar foe, the Illini took down then-No. 8 UCLA 79-70 when the two battled it out in November. Since then, the Bruins have picked up a few key wins, including at No. 23 Kentucky, vs. USC, and at No. 8 Arizona.
The Illini have already shown us they are capable of beating this team. Surely, they can do it again.
March 7, 2023: Jerry Palm, CBS Sports
Just like Decourcy, Mr. Palm has the Illini taking on NC State in the 8-9 matchup. This time, the winner would advance to take on No. 1 Alabama.
A date with Alabama would be a slightly more favorable round-of-32 battle. The Crimson Tide are just 2-3 against ranked opponents and only won their last three games by a combined 10 points before losing to No. 18 Texas A&M to close out the season.
A shot at revenge against Indiana in the Sweet 16 would be a possibility in Palm’s scenario. It’s always hard to beat a team three times in a season.
March 7, 2023: USA Today
Experts at USA Today have the Illini projected to be an 8-seed, like the previous two. In their bracketology, they have Illinois taking on West Virginia, who finished eighth of 10 teams in the Big 12.
The Mountaineers finished at 18-13 overall and 7-11 in the conference. Along with their underwhelming record, West Virginia was just 2-9 against ranked opponents this season. I would like Illinois’ chances in this one.
With a win, the Orange and Blue would, again, advance to take on No. 1 Alabama.
March 7, 2023: Joe Lunardi, ESPN
Just like the experts at USA Today projected, Lunardi has the Illini as an 8-seed facing West Virginia. Also like the previous two, a battle against the Crimson Tide would be the round-of-32 matchup, unless knocked off by a 16-seed.
If the Illini are able to win these two games, their potential Sweet 16 opponents include 4-seed Xavier, 5-seed TCU, 12-seed Drake, and 13-seed Yale. I love their chances against all said teams.
Unless anything drastic happens, it is looking like the Illini will be an 8-seed with Alabama waiting in the second round. Let’s focus on the Nittany Lions for now, though.