ESPN's Seth Greenberg: Illinois Capable of a Deep NCAA Tournament Run

The former Virginia Tech coach and current pundit said, "When healthy, Illinois is an Elite Eight team"

ESPN's Seth Greenberg, left, and Jay Bilas try to explain a flagrant foul situation to fans during the GameDay segment before the Kentucky-Kansas Saturday, January 26, 2019. Espn Gameday At Rupp January 26 2019 / Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Illinois’ season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.

Up. Down. Thrills. Nausea. Even a broken wrist! The Illini (21-12) have been flung this way and that by the 2024-25 campaign, bounced around and left a bit dazed and unsteady on their feet.

But on Selection Sunday, Illinois got its slate wiped clean and a fixed (if not clear) path to a national championship laid out before them.

It all begins Friday night, when sixth-seeded Illinois is set to face the winner of Xavier-Texas (the 11 seed) in a location close to home: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The prep begins pic.twitter.com/m1hV9AyBOX

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 16, 2025

Following that contest, a matchup with 3 seed Kentucky appears likely, and from there, well, who knows, its March Madness. (Don't worry: We took a swing at it anyway.)

While, 2 seed Tennessee or 7 seed UCLA would be the expectation if the Illini keep winning, crazier things certainly have happened.

Nonetheless, Illinois’ draw appears to be quite advantageous, at least according to ESPN’s Seth Greenberg, who believes a deep run for the Illini isn’t out of question.

“Illinois, to me, when healthy, Illinois is an Elite Eight team," Greenberg said.

Starters Kasparas Jakucionis (forearm), Tomislav Ivisic (ankle) and Morez Johnson Jr. (broken wrist) all missed games because of injuries, and several more missed time or were slowed by a rampant flu bug. On top of it all, Ivisic battle a bout of mono.

But as Greenberg later pointed out, the Illini are indeed whole again.

“They’re finally healthy," he said. "Jakucionis controls the tempo of the game – great ball-screen guard."

Greenberg wasn’t entirely sold on Illinois’ chances, however, and he pinpointed one reason the Illini’s run could be cut short:

“The problem is, they’re going to rely on three freshmen.”

Counter argument: Illinois has been relying on those freshmen, while routinely presenting them with learning opportunities, all season. The results have been pretty positive. At their best, the Illini are very, very good.

Greenberg seems to agree, and is sold on Illinois’ high ceiling in the tournament.

“[On] that side of the bracket," he said, "they can get a chance to face off and advance to the second weekend.”

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Basketball's NCAA Tournament Seed and Matchup Revealed

Would Iowa Transfer Forward Owen Freeman Consider a Move to Illinois?

Plotting Illinois Basketball's Path to a National Championship