NCAA.com Projects Tournament Path for Illinois Women's Basketball

One pundit considers the Illini a No. 9 seed in what would require yet another odds-defying performance to make a run

Feb 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Shauna Green during the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Illinois women's basketball team has spent roughly the past four and a half months defying expectations.

Why stop now?

A raft of season-ending injuries, depth issues and impossibly luckless schedule timing have plagued coach Shauna Green and her crew. Yet the Illini (21-9, 11-7) just keep going.

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— Illinois Women's Basketball (@IlliniWBB) March 11, 2025

Where the road ends is anyone's guess, but Autumn Johnson at NCAA.com recently took a swing at projecting the next step on the journey. Johnson has Illinois as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, facing No. 8 Creighton in the Birmingham Regional.

There's an argument to be made that the Illini deserve better. They currently rank 32nd in the NET Rankings, and their strength of schedule ranks No. 38 in Division I, according to WarrenNolan.com, due mostly to the potency of the Big Ten. The selection committee might also note that Illinois – relying on a six-player rotation and often playing at least one contributor 40 minutes down the stretch – should be recharged by a week between games.

Yet several other factors hurt the Illini's case: a 4-7 record against Quad 1 competition and a four-game losing streak that spilled over from the end of the regular season into the Big Ten Tournament. (Squaring up with then-No. 3 UCLA and then-No. 4 USC in back-to-back road games did them no favors.)

A No. 9 seed would seem to be a worst-case scenario, though a No. 8 shouldn't be out of the question. This is all theoretical for now, of course, but in Johnson's projected bracket, Illinois would likely face No. 1-seeded and No. 2 ranked South Carolina in a second-round matchup.

These Illini have beat the odds before. What's one more time?

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie Earn Big Ten Honors for Illini

Illini Women's Basketball Falls Short Against Nebraska in Big Ten Tournament

Bret Bielema's Snarky Social Media Post on Illinois Basketball's AP Ranking