The day is finally here when the Illinois basketball team gets to see where we are seeded for the NCAA tournament.
With Selection Sunday just hours away, the Illini are still licking our wounds from a 23-point drubbing at the hands of Maryland. The Terrapins then lost on Saturday to Michigan, a team Illinois beat by 20 points two weeks ago. Make that make sense.
I would say the NCAA tournament committee probably has their final seeds already in place and scenarios laid out based on what happens with conference title games on Sunday. With that being said, I believe Illinois is already seeded and won’t move.
Joe Lunardi released his latest version of the bracket on Saturday night. I assume some of this will change slightly, but I doubt Illinois is going to move anywhere. Lunardi has Illinois settled into the No. 6 seed.
The Illini will be in the South Region, playing in Atlanta if we make the Sweet 16 and beyond. The start for the Orange and Blue would be up in Milwaukee for the first two rounds. Our opponent, the Drake Bulldogs.
I will hard pass on that scenario. I don’t want to take on No. 11 seed Drake. They finished 30-3 overall and 17-3 in their conference. While they didn’t play anyone in the non-conference, that is a team that has a ton of confidence and knows how to win.
If Illinois would get past Drake, the Kentucky Wildcats would likely be waiting. That is a talented Kentucky squad that can easily make a run in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
I hope the Illinois basketball NET Rankings weigh heavily on the NCAA tournament Selection Sunday results
I believe the bottom of where Illinois could end up being seeded is in that No. 6 slot. That doesn’t seem like the ceiling, though.
When I look at the NET Rankings, the Illini are currently No. 17. We have eight Quad 1 wins, which is No. 14 out of all teams in DI basketball as well.
If you go by the NET Rankings, there is a chance that Illinois can climb up into the No. 5 seed range. I believe that would be much better for the program, as we would get a slightly weaker team in the first round and second round.
If Illinois does make the No. 5 seed, it will show you how much the selection committee leans into the NET Rankings.