Best, worst, and most likely NCAA tournament seeds for the Illinois basketball team

Most likely seed

I went over the worst seed I believe Illinois can have entering the NCAA tournament. The bottom of the barrel for the program is probably the No. 6 seed.

If Illinois gets hot here in the final couple of weeks, I believe there is a chance we climb high, though. If things fall into place, the Illini could end up sneaking into the No. 2 seed as well.

But what is the most likely scenario? No. 6 seed seems too harsh, and the No. 2 seed is a bit of a pipe dream. So, where will the Illini likely land when Selection Sunday happens?

Illinois was able to take care of business against Iowa just weeks ago in Champaign. This is a great matchup for the Orange and Blue, and I see us beating the Hawkeyes again. This gives Illinois another win in Quad 1.

Entering the Big Ten Tournament, I believe Illinois has some favorable matchups. The only team out of the possible No. 7 vs No. 10 that I don’t want to see is Michigan State. But we have dropped games against Michigan State, Northwestern, and Penn State, and all three teams are possible opponents.

I fully expect Illinois to play with some fire in the Big Ten Tournament. This is the last chance for Terrence Shannon Jr. and the older players to go out on top. Winning on Friday is something I could see happening. Illinois would then play Northwestern on Saturday. Taking down the Wildcats wouldn’t shock me either.

Illinois then matches up against Purdue. The Boilermakers have our number, and while I will be hoping that we beat Purdue this time around, Zach Edey seems like too much. The Illini might lose in the Big Ten Championship game.

So, that likely gives Illinois an overall record of 25-9, a Quad 1 record of 7-7, and a trip to the Big Ten Championship game. I think the most likely scenario is that Illinois secures the No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament with discussions of a No. 3 seed.