Chambana Sun

The Illinois Fighting Illini are set to face the Xavier Musketeers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The game is scheduled for Friday, March 21, 2025, at 8:45 p.m. CT at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Illinois enters as a No. 6 seed with a record of 21-12, while Xavier holds the No. 11 seed with a record of 22-11.

Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood has led the team to its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its 35th overall. "Brad Underwood is just the second head coach in school history to lead Illinois to at least five straight NCAA Tournaments," according to historical records.

The Fighting Illini have an all-time record of 45-35 in NCAA Tournament games and have reached the Final Four five times without securing a national championship title. "Illinois' five Final Four appearances are second-most among teams yet to win a national title," as noted by tournament statistics.

This matchup marks the first time Illinois will face Xavier in an NCAA Tournament setting, though they have met four times previously with each team winning twice. Their last encounter was on November 21, 2018, where Xavier won with a score of 83-74 during the Maui Invitational.

Xavier leads their neutral site series against Illinois by two wins to one and comes into this tournament having not faced any prior games in this year's competition under their current seeding.

Fans can catch the game live on CBS or stream it via NCAA March Madness Live or through various radio networks including Busey Bank Illini Sports Network and Westwood One.