The Illinois Fighting Illini earned their spot as one of the No. 3 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, and now, Brad Underwood's squad is just days away from tipping off their journey through the Big Dance.
After falling short in the Big Ten Tournament, the Illini have an uphill battle ahead of them, but nothing is impossible in March Madness.
Here is everything you need to know about Illinois' region of the bracket, who the Illini play next, and when Underwood's team will be in action.
Illinois's 2026 NCAA Tournament Hub:
- Seed: No. 3
- Region: South
- Next opponent: No. 14-seed Penn on Thursday, March 19th at 9:25 p.m. ET
The Fighting Illini will face the Penn Quakers in the First Round with a late tip-off on Thursday, March 19, and opening odds had Illinois favored to win by 23.5 points.
South Region bracket:
1. Florida
16. Prairie View A&M/LeHigh
8. Clemson
9. Iowa
5. Vanderbilt
12. McNeese State
4. Nebraska
13. Troy
6. North Carolina
11. VCU
3. Illinois
14. Pennsylvania
7. Saint Mary's
10. Texas A&M
2. Houston
15. Idaho
If Illinois defeats the Quakers, the Illini will move on to face the winner of North Carolina versus VCU. The winner of that will move to the Sweet 16 to play the winner of Saint Mary's or Texas A&M versus Houston or Idaho.
After the Sweet 16, the number of possible opponents blossoms, but the most likely opponents would include the No. 1-seed Florida Gators and No. 4-seed Nebraska Cornhuskers (if Illinois pulls off the upset over their likely Sweet 16 opponent, the No. 2-seed Houston Cougars).
Links to Illinois March Madness content:
- Illinois gets a brutal draw as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament
- Illinois basketball is dancing in the NCAA tournament for the 6th straight season
- Illinois could benefit from final NCAA tournament bracket prediction chaos
- NCAA tournament gives Illinois chance at long awaited revenge against North Carolina
- Star freshman has Illinois basketball on prestigious award list