How to Watch: Illinois Women vs. Texas in NCAA Tournament Second Round

The Illini seek to pull off a massive upset and stay alive in the Big Dance on Monday in Austin, Texas

Feb 25, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Genesis Bryant (1) shoots against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

How to watch

Illinois (22-9) vs. Texas (32-3)

Day and time: Monday (March 24) at 1 p.m. CT
Venue: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
TV: ESPN
Stream: N/A
Listen: WDWS-AM 1400 (Champaign)
WLS-AM 890 (Chicago)
Illini Sports Network affiliates (other local markets)
Varsity Network app
SiriusXM 372
SXM App 372

Odds and ends

Illinois vs. Texas all time: Texas leads the series 3-0
Streak: Texas has won three in a row against Illinois
Last meeting: Texas 70, Illinois 54 (Dec. 5, 2000, Champaign, Illinois)

Probable Illinois starters:

G Genesis Bryant

G Adalia McKenzie

F Berry Wallace

F Brynn Shoup-Hill

C Kendall Bostic

WINNING IN MARCH 👏

Illinois is headed to the round of 32 for the first time since 2000 🙌 pic.twitter.com/m5UXNijS29

— espnW (@espnW) March 23, 2025

Smart-fan stuff

Key stat: 9.5

One of the top rebounding teams in the NCAA, Texas outpaces its opponents on the boards by an average margin of 9.5 per game. The Longhorns' size and athleticism are apparent up and down the roster, as three grab 6.1 or more rebounds per game, while nine average more than two.

Although the Illini are solid on the boards (plus-4.2 margin) – and, in particular, forward Kendall Bostic (11.3 rebounds per game) is a difference-maker – they’re massively undersized. (Illinois' tallest starter is Brynn Shoup-Hill, listed at 6-foot-3.) The Illini will need an all-out effort on the glass to prevent Texas from collecting misses and sticking them back for back-breaking second-chance buckets.

Quick tips

1. Texas has a versatile offensive attack, with 10 players averaging at least 5.2 points, led by Madison Booker’s 16.3. Booker can step out beyond the arc (43.1 percent), but she tends to do her work on the interior – similar to most of the rest of the Longhorns.

2. Only one Texas player averages as many as one three per game – and it’s exactly one per outing (Jordan Lee). Although not an impressive three-point shooting team by volume (3.2 made per game) or percentage (29.7), the Longhorns have an inside presence and proven formula that can't be denied.

Illinois on SI prediction

With all that length and power inside, Texas is an excellent defensive squad (holding opponents to 38.3 percent from the floor) that also maintains complete control over the glass, The Longhorns are a juggernaut that poses a variety of challenges for Illinois – none more so than its massive size.

The most comparable matchup through Illinois' 31 games would be UCLA – which Illinois stuck with through much of the contest but ultimately fell to by a score of 70-55.

Illini coach Shauna Green drives her squad to consistently play with all-out effort on both ends, but Illinois appears to be physically overmatched – and by a wide margin, if only because of the Longhorns' superior depth. Texas is a top seed for good reason, and the Illini have already shown that can't match up with the size and numbers of women's college basketball's elite.

Texas 86, Illinois 69

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