The NCAA tournament brackets are out, and Illinois basketball is dancing once again.
At one time this season, the Illini were on top of the world, coming off a 32-point drubbing of then-No. 9 Oregon. Two more wins followed, which gave the program a 12-3 record overall and a 4-1 start to the Big Ten season.
Injury and illness soon struck Illinois, and the slide started. We lost three out of the next four games and only notched five wins in the following 13 contests. It was one of the roughest stretches in the Brad Underwood era.
Illinois had a flourish of winning to end the regular season, winning the final three games, two of which were over ranked opponents in Michigan and Purdue. The Illini then took down Iowa in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. What got everyone talking wasn’t the recent success but moreover, the massive blowout at the hands of No. 11 Maryland in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament. This 23-point loss has put a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths.
The regular season is now over. The Big Ten Tournament is now over. It is time for Illinois to start its third season of the 2024-25 campaign. The NCAA tournament.
On Sunday night, it was revealed in the CBS Selection Show that Illinois would be heading to the Big Dance. The Illini earned the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Bracket. We will be heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Friday, but the time has yet to be set. The Illini will face the winner of the No. 11 play-in game between Texas and Xavier.
Time to dance pic.twitter.com/LRQEhFrsQs
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 16, 2025
Illinois basketball continues NCAA tournament run with Brad Underwood at the helm
It is exciting that Illinois is back in the NCAA tournament. This marks the fifth straight postseason appearance for the program, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 2000 through 2007, when Illinois had eight straight appearances.
Honestly, it should be six straight if it wasn’t for COVID. Year in and year out, Underwood puts the Illini in a position to at least compete for a national championship. That couldn’t be said for the two head coaches who preceded him.
On top of that, Illinois hasn’t been a double-digit seed during this time either. We have been a No. 1, No. 4, No. 9, and No. 3 seed. The Illini continues the streak of single-digit seeds.
Illinois will once again look to make a run in the NCAA tournament. Last season, we notched a spot in the Elite 8. This season, who knows how deep we will go? Like in poker, we have a chip and a chair. Let’s shock the world.