The University of Illinois men’s basketball team secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 with a 76-55 victory over Virginia Commonwealth University on March 21. The game, held at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, saw Illinois take control early and maintain their lead for nearly the entire contest.
This advancement marks the second time in three years that Illinois has reached the Sweet 16, highlighting a period of consistent success for the program. The win also gave head coach Brad Underwood his 300th career victory and continued his record of leading the Illini to multiple deep tournament runs.
Andrej Stojakovic led Illinois with 21 points off the bench, including a key stretch at the end of the first half that helped regain and extend their lead. Tomislav Ivisic contributed a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell added 14 and 12 points respectively. The Illini outshot VCU by a margin of 48% to 35%, dominated rebounding with a tally of 45-29, and maintained aggressive defense without excessive fouling.
Illinois now holds a season record of 26-8, tying for the fifth-most wins in program history. Underwood is now one of four coaches at Illinois to have led teams to multiple Sweet 16 appearances since the tournament expanded in 1975. The team will next face Houston in Houston at the Toyota Center on Thursday.
According to the official website, Illinois has previously reached the NCAA Final Four five times: in 1949, 1951, 1952, 1989, and most recently in 2005. The team plays its home games in Champaign, Illinois as reported by their official website. They have earned Big Ten Conference titles across several decades—including years such as 1915, 1917, and 1924—according to their official website. The Fighting Illini compete as part of both NCAA Division I athletics and the Big Ten Conference under their adopted nickname “Fighting Illini,” according to information from their official website.
Looking ahead, Illinois aims to continue its strong postseason performance against Houston. Their recent achievements reflect ongoing competitiveness within college basketball’s top tier.
