Illinois basketball’s NCAA Tournament resume for March Madness: Jan. 20

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Illinois basketball had a big win at Indiana and followed that up with a heartbreaking loss at Michigan State — exhibiting itself as a top contender and in line for an NCAA Tournament berth.

Coach Brad Underwood has Illinois basketball at 13-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten, jumping three spots to No. 17 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll on Monday.

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Each week moving forward, the Journal Star will take a look back at the Illini’s previous week and assess how their resume has changed and stacks up to the competition.

Illinois basketball results last week

Jan. 14: Illinois 94, Illinois 69 — The Illini piled up their largest road win in the series, getting 21 points from Kasparas Jakucionis in his return from injury. Tomislav Ivisic had a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds), while Kylan Boswell added a season-high 22 points and Dra Gibbs-Lawthorn scored 12 off the bench.

Jan. 19: No. 12 Michigan State 80, Illinois 78 — Host Michigan State (16-2, 7-0) won its 11th in a row, getting two free throws from Tre Holloman (17 points) with 5.4 seconds left to ice a big win over the Illini and stay atop the Big Ten. Will Riley scored 19 to lead Illinois, while Tomislav Ivisic added 13 points, Kylan Boswell 13 and Morez Johnson 11.

Illinois basketball games this week

Thursday, Jan. 23: 8 p.m. home game against Maryland.

Sunday, Jan. 26: 2 p.m. home game against Northwestern.

Illinois Net rankings: No. 8 | Last week: No. 9

All rankings entering Monday.

Quad 1 record: 4-4

Quad 2 record: 3-0

Quad 3 record: 0-1

Quad 4 record: 6-0

Illinois KenPom rankings: No. 9 | Last week No. 13

All rankings entering Monday.

Illinois bracketology projections

Fox Sports: 4 seed vs. 13 seed Princeton in East Region (as of Jan. 17)

ESPN: 3 seed vs 14 seed Radford in East Region: Wichita (as of Jan. 17)

Clutch Points: 4 seed vs 13 seed South Alabama (as of Jan. 20)

On3: 3 seed vs. 14 Utah Valley in South Region: Milwaukee (as of Jan…. [ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/illinois-basketballs-ncaa-tournament-resume-183425898.html

Author : Journal Star

Publish date : 2025-01-20 18:34:00

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