CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Fighting Illini are in the big dance once again.
The orange and blue will make their first back-to-back tournament appearance since the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons. The appearance will mark the third time in four years the Illini have made the NCAA tournament, all under the helm of fourth-year head coach Shauna Green.
The Fighting Illini are slated as a 7 seed, where they will take on No. 10 Colorado in the first round in Nashville.
The tournament appearance solidifies Green as
a program-changing coach. Prior to Green’s hiring at the start of the 2022-23 season, the Illini had not appeared in the Tournament since the 2002-03 season. Now, the Illini are making postseason play a regular occurrence.
In a season that featured upsets, injuries, and new players, the Illini have once again reached their goal of an NCAA tournament appearance.
After a ton of roster turnover from last year’s squad, veterans stepped up and some new additions shined.
Freshman Destiny Jackson led the team in assists by a wide margin and recorded 9.9 points per game. Cearah Parchment was the other freshman star. She averaged 13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds and led the team in double-doubles.
With the veteran Gretchen Dolan out for most of the second half of the season, a new leader had to emerge, and one definitely did. Sophomore Berry Wallace was calculated and efficient, leading the team in points with 18.4 points per game.
The season featured some marquee wins for the Illini. On New Year’s Day, the Illini knocked off No. 7 Maryland. The win was the first over the Terrapins in Green’s tenure, and provided momentum into the new year.
Even after a shaky January and February in Big Ten play, the Illini’s resolve remained unbroken. The orange and blue took care of business in games down the stretch to all but lock them in to another NCAA Tournament bid.
After winning their first NCAA tournament game under Green last season, the orange and blue will look to expand on that in 2026. The Illini have a real opportunity to put their program on the national stage, and it all starts on Saturday.
By the time the play, the Illini will have had more than two weeks of rest, and will be ready to square of against the Buffaloes.
