NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Not the result you hope for, but nonetheless, what a season from Illinois.
The orange and blue showed a lot of heart on Monday night in Nashville. After a slow start out of the gate, the Illini were pesky and took what they could get against the No. 2 seed Vanderbilt Commodores.
Ultimately, the task was too heavy for them, though, as they would fall 75-57 in the Round of 32.
The Illini (22-12) knew going into Monday’s contest that they would have to play an almost perfect game to advance
to the Sweet Sixteen, and with a lot of costly mistakes early, that dream of a trip to the second weekend slipped away.
With the Illini already down six in the first quarter, the engine needing to get started, however, the Commodores’ (29-4) defense came ready to play. While Destiny Jackson was trying to start up the Illini offense, Aiyana Mitchell came streaking in to deflect Jackson’s errant pass. The turnover would be one of seven that Jackson would commit, an uncharacteristic performance for the freshman.
It didn’t help the Illini’s case that Mikayla Blakes of Vanderbilt wouldn’t let up on either side of the court. The sophomore missed a triple-double by only one assist and was absolutely torching the orange and blue.
Even though the Illini went into the break down 11, they showed the grit they had all season long in the second half.
With bodies crashing to the floor to start the second half, it was clear that Illinois wasn’t going to go away that easily. Berry Wallace, in the middle of the third quarter, dove at the ground, putting her body on the line to wrestle the ball out of a Vanderbilt defender’s hands.
The toughness from Wallace would lead to a Cearah Parchment mid-range bucket that would cut the deficit to single digits. However, moments later, Parchment tried to slide in front of a Commandor driving at the hoop, resulting in a blocking foul; the foul would be the freshman’s third of the night, sending her to the bench for the remainder of the third quarter.
Berry Wallace wasn’t ready to go home quite yet, though, after Parchment went to the bench. The star sophomore responded by attacking the hoop and converting a bucket in traffic while getting fouled in the process. Although Wallace started the game 0-6, she answered by going 5-7 right after.
Despite the gusty second-half performance from a seven-person rotation, the Illini couldn’t end up handling Vanderbilt.
For the youngest team in the NCAA Tournament, the Illini more than proved their worth among the countries premiere women’s athletes. To say that they have nothing to be ashamed of would be an understatement. In a season full of ups and downs, Coach Green’s squad never seemed to quit, setting up an electric 2026-27 season.
Moments that Mattered
Despite a cold shooting night from Webber, this three helped the Illini stay in striking distance.
Vanderbilt took full advantage of Cearah Parchment being on the bench.
Remember the name, Mikayla Blakes. She set the NCAA All-Time Sophomore Scoring Record Holder with this three-pointer.
Stat Stuffers
- Mikayla Blakes (VANDY) – 22 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists
- Berry Wallace (ILL) – 18 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist
- Jasmine Brown-Hagger (ILL) – 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
What’s next?
Despite an early NCAA tournament defeat, there is so much to be excited about for Illinois.
The fact that this team was the youngest in the entire 68-field is mind-boggling. It speaks volumes to what Shauna Green can do as a coach and what she will do.
If the Illini can retain their talent — the likes of which include Berry Wallace, Destiny Jackson, Cearah Parchment, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, and Gretchen Dolan — then they will be extremely dangerous this time next year.
The question that always arises, though, in the modern landscape of college athletics is whether those players will hit the portal. Only time will tell on that front, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those names get some very lucrative offers thrown at them in the coming weeks.
However, all of that will be coming up soon. Right now, let’s just appreciate how far this program has come. Coming into Green’s tenure at Illinois, the program hadn’t made an NCAA tournament in well over a decade; now they’ve made it in three of the last four years. There’s really so much to be grateful for, even more to look forward to in the near future.
