Illinois has reverted to midseason form in the NCAA Tournament
Two wins from a Final Four.
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 21: (L-R) Keaton Wagler #23, Ben Humrichous #3, Tomislav Ivisic #13 and David Mirkovic #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini speak during the second half against the VCU Rams in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 21, 2026 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images Back in December through early February, when Illinois went 12-0, the Illini were one of the top three-point shooting teams.
They were out-rebounding teams by double-digits. They got as high as No. 5 in the AP Poll on Feb.
2. Then, after the Michigan State loss in overtime, the Illini struggled down the stretch, going 4-4, losing three overtime games. including back-to-back OT losses to Michigan State (on the road) and Wisconsin (at home).
In the overtime losses to Wisconsin and later to UCLA, the Illini blew double-digit leads. Then they had the same thing happen against Wisconsin again, this time in the Big Ten tournament. Despite all that, they secured a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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