Ernie Johnson on Illinois' Performance Against Xavier: 'You Believe in Illinois'

The legendary sportscaster was impressed by the Illini's showing in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament

February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; TNT broadcaster Ernie Johnson Jr. after the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Throughout the season, Illinois has been as up and down as any team in college basketball.

Although much of the Illini's inconsistency stemmed from youth and inexperience, or injuries and illness, it doesn’t change the fact that none of us knew – or even now knows – what to expect from them.

With that in mind, filling out your NCAA bracket and picking Illinois’ game (or games, depending on how far you had the Illini going) might have had you asking Siri to flip a coin.

That's roughly as much confidence as TNT sportscaster Ernie Johnson had in the Illini heading into the tournament.

“Four-and-four over its last eight," he said on Friday, returning to a few days ago when the average fan was weighing their own bracket. "So if you’re filling out your bracket and looking at recent performances, you say, 'Well, I don’t know about Illinois.'”

But then came Illinois’ 86-73 opening-round victory over Xavier.

And just look at the Illini stat lines:

Will Riley went for 22 points (on 8-for-12 field-goal shooting) and four rebounds, while tacking on a pair of blocks.

"HE HAS BEEN A MACHINE WILL RILEY" 💯#MarchMadness @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/iSSVodfCJT

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2025

Tomislav Ivisic poured in 20 points (including four threes) and added 10 rebounds.

Kasparas Jakucionis came up just a rebound shy of a triple-double, with 16 points, nine boards and 10 assists.

Moreover, Illinois held Xavier to 40.3 percent shooting from the field while outrebounding the Musketeers 45-25. The 13-point margin hardly did justice portraying how thoroughly the Illini controlled the game, especially in the second half.

The performance had Johnson echoing the thoughts of the entire country:

“You watch that team tonight, you believe in Illinois.”

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Buy or Sell: Illinois Basketball's Chances for a Deep NCAA Tournament Run

Can Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Adapt and Overcome in NCAA Tournament?

Illinois Overcomes Shaky Start to Bounce Xavier From NCAA Tournament