Chambana Sun

The Illinois women's basketball team has secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in its history. The Fighting Illini will face Creighton in the first round on Saturday, March 22, at 6:15 p.m. CT. This game will be hosted by No. 1-seeded Texas in Austin, Texas. The winner will advance to play against either No. 1-seeded Texas or No. 16-seeded High Point/William & Mary on Monday.

Illinois holds a season record of 21-9, tying their program record for regular-season wins. This appearance marks their second entry into the national competition under third-year head coach Shauna Green. The Illini are aiming for their first NCAA Tournament win since 2000.

Throughout the regular season, Illinois achieved three ranked wins, matched their program record with ten nonconference victories, and set a new program record with an eight-game Big Ten winning streak from January 23 through February 16. They finished tied for fifth place in the Big Ten standings and secured a single-digit seed for the third consecutive conference tournament.

Three players received All-Big Ten honors: Kendall Bostic (First Team, Sportsmanship Award), Genesis Bryant (Second Team), and Adalia McKenzie (Honorable Mention).

Illinois enters this year's tournament with an all-time NCAA record of 8-9 and is making back-to-back appearances within three years for the first time since earning four consecutive bids from 1996-97 to 1999-2000.

Head Coach Shauna Green has now led six teams to NCAA Tournament appearances, including her tenure at Dayton. Her last ten teams have enjoyed winning seasons dating back to her time at Loras College (D3).