Illinois vs Xavier Preview: What Fighting Illini team will show in the first round of the NCAA tournament?

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. (WGN) — March Madness continues Friday, with the Illinois Fighting Illini set to take on the Xavier Musketeers in a battle of the Midwest Region’s No. 6 seed versus the No. 11 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The story behind the Fighting Illini heading into this matchup is both erratic and enigmatic.

Will we see the Illinois team that unleashed offensive onslaughts on the road against Oregon and Michigan? Or will the squad that was blown off the floor against Duke at Madison Square Garden be the team that shows up to the Fiserv Forum?

"Whatever you’ve seen of us, just wipe it off, clean slate," Kylan Boswell said. "Going into this tournament, it’s a totally different team with the right mentality. Our grittiness, our toughness, we’re just trying to give that same impression Coach Underwood gives us each and every day."

The good Illinois

When the Fighting Illini are at their best, they’re a team capable of scoring in flurries, while also overmatching opponents on the boards.

Illinois was tops in the Big Ten in points (83.6) and rebounds per game (42.5), while also finishing second in rebounding differential (+8.7) behind Michigan State (+9.0). No two matchups better encapsulated those numbers than their 93-73 win at Ann Arbor on March 2, and their 109-77 win on the road in Eugene on Jan. 2.

Michigan and Oregon were both Top 15-ranked teams at the time of playing the Fighting Illini, but were overmatched from the field and around the glass. Illinois outrebounded the Wolverines 43-32 and the Ducks 43-31, while also having four players score more than 12 points in each contest.

"At the beginning of the season, the ceiling was very high," said Kasparas Jakucionas, who accounted for 33 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists combined on the road against Michigan and Oregon. "If we just do our job, I think we are a very good team and we can go far."

The bad Illinois

When the Fighting Illini were at their worst this season, all their wheels fell off. Their ball movement became stagnant and sloppy, outside shooting went cold, and they lost their edge on the boards, as witnessed in two lopsided losses to Maryland and an absolute stomping handed to them by the Blue Devils on national television.

The Terrapins took out Illinois to the tune of a 91-70 victory on Jan. 23, and an 88-65 win on March 14.

On Jan. 23, Angel Reese’s brother, Julian, poured in 27 points and 17 rebounds as Maryland outrebounded (40-36) and outshot (50%-37.7%) the Fighting Illini, while also out-assisting them (18-13) and forcing nine more turnovers (16-7).

Nearly two months later, Illinois regained their edge in rebounding (47-38), but were again outshot (42.3%-36.5%), out-assisted (19-12) and committed nearly six times more turnovers (17-3) than the Terrapins on March 14.

However, neither game was as bad as the 110-67 loss they were handed by Duke.

The 43-point defeat stands as the most lopsided loss in program history. The Fighting Illini shot 23-61 (37.7%) from the field and 2-26 from 3-point land (7.7%), as compared to 40-72 (55.6%) from the field and 12-23 (52.2%) from three by the Blue Devils.

Illinois was also outrebounded 44-30, and out-assisted 28-10.

Finally at full health

If things go south against the Musketeers, injuries or team health won’t be something the Fighting Illini will be able to point to as an excuse.

Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. has fully recovered from a broken wrist he suffered during a 79-65 loss to the Spartans on Feb. 15, and the virus bug that hit the team so hard they refused the postgame handshake with Wisconsin three days later has run its course.

"Everybody’s back. The team, everybody understands how important everyone is now," Johnson Jr said. "We have to focus on the game and can’t look ahead. I think everyone here understands that. It’s our time to make a run."

The only player listed on their injury report is sparingly-used sophomore forward Carey Booth, who is listed as questionable with an undisclosed injury and averages 1.2 points and 27% shooting from the field on 5.1 minutes per game.

"This is a great basketball team that’s capable of beating anybody," Ben Humrichous said. "I’m excited to be at full force again and now here we are, ready to take a shot at the world, really."

What Xavier brings to the court

Xavier (22-11) comes into their Friday matchup against Illinois as the second oldest team in the NCAA Tournament, behind Kansas, and is the seventh-best 3-point shooting team in the country at 39.1%.

The Musketeers went 12-3 over their last 15 regular season games, which featured wins over No. 7 Marquette and No. 19 Connecticut, as well as a 7-game win streak to close out the regular season.

They lost 89-87 to the Golden Eagles in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals before defeating Texas in a First Four matchup of 11 seeds to earn the right to play the Fighting Illini in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

“That’s one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a part of,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said after beating the Longhorns. “I thought we beat an excellent Texas team. They are disciplined. They have depth and talent. We knew it was going to be a great challenge to beat a really good team from the SEC. I’m really proud of our team.”

Xavier overcame a 13-point deficit to beat Texas, 86-80, thanks in part to impressive performances from Marcus Foster (22 points) and Zach Freemantle (15 points).

Freemantle hit a turnaround jumper to break a 78-all tie with 1:48 remaining and his two free throws extended Xavier’s lead to 82-79 with 1:09 left. The Longhorns’ Tre Johnson missed a fadeaway jumper, and Dailyn Swain’s putback of Freemantle’s missed 3-pointer upped the margin to five with 20 seconds to play.

Chendall Weaver made one of two free throws for Texas before Freemantle’s dunk sealed it. Xavier closed the game on a 16-6 run over the final six minutes.

Tip-off

The Illinois Fighting Illini (21-12, 13-9) take on the Xavier Musketeers (22-11, 13-8) Friday at the Fiserv Forum. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. CT.

Reporting from Jeff Wallner of the Associated Press contributed toward this report.

Conclusion

The Illinois Fighting Illini are set to face off against the Xavier Musketeers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Illini have shown flashes of brilliance this season, but have also struggled with inconsistency. With a full roster and a clean slate, they will look to make a deep run in the tournament. Xavier, on the other hand, has been impressive in their last 15 games and will look to continue their momentum. The game promises to be an exciting matchup between two talented teams.

FAQs

Q: What time is the Illinois vs Xavier game?
A: The game is scheduled to start at 8:45 p.m. CT.
Q: What is the seed of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the NCAA Tournament?
A: The Illinois Fighting Illini are the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region.
Q: What is the seed of the Xavier Musketeers in the NCAA Tournament?
A: The Xavier Musketeers are the No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region.
Q: Where is the game being played?
A: The game is being played at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Q: What is the injury status of the Illinois Fighting Illini?
A: The only player listed on the injury report is sophomore forward Carey Booth, who is listed as questionable with an undisclosed injury.