We can now see the finish line for the women’s Illinois basketball 2025-26 regular season.
The Illini have put up a fight this season, going 17-8 overall and 7-7 in the Big Ten thus far. With four games left until the Big Ten Tournament, the postseason seeding could sway drastically in either direction.
At press time, Illinois is projected as a No. 8 seed. This makes sense considering we are the No. 32 team in the NET Rankings, which puts us right there for that position. Here is the thing: I don’t like that position.
The No. 8 vs No. 9 seed line is brutal. That means the team waiting for us is a No. 1 seed in the second round. In the latest bracket prediction, ESPN has Illinois matching up against No. 9 Syracuse in the first round, and then the winner gets No. 1 overall seed UConn in the Round of 32.
I don’t want that at all. We need to avoid that line at all costs. So, the final four games of the season become even more crucial.
How does Illinois basketball get a better seed in the NCAA tournament
I think it is pretty simple: get to 20 wins in the regular season. What does this entail? Well, first, win the next two games that we are supposed to win.
Illinois has Rutgers in Champaign on Tuesday night. We then head to Northwestern on Sunday, February 22. Those both should be victories to get us to 19 wins on the season and 9-7 in the Big Ten.
The final two games of the 2025-26 campaign are a bit tougher. Illinois is at No. 13 Iowa on February 26, and then we finish the season at home against No. 23 Minnesota.
Either one of those games needs to be a victory. They are both Quad 1 programs, so that would boost the program up greatly when it comes to NET Rankings. If Illinois can get to 20 wins in the regular season, then I believe we will, at least, be a No. 7 seed, if not higher.