Did Illinois Get Snubbed? The Case for a No. 2 Seed Over Purdue

After ripping off 12 straight wins and climbing as high as No. 5 in the AP poll, Illinois sputtered through the tail-end of its regular season, finishing its scheduled slate at just 4-4.

Less than 100 miles east in West Lafayette, Indiana, a similar situation was unfolding for Purdue. After flying through non-conference play (aside from a one-game slip at home against Iowa State), the Boilermakers stumbled through league play, especially as the season came to a close.

Over its final six games of the regular season, Purdue went 2-4, resulting in a 13-7 Big Ten finish – good for No. 7 in the conference. As of just five days ago, the Boilermakers appeared poised to be a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

When the bracket got revealed on Sunday, though, Purdue was a No. 2 seed. Meanwhile, Illinois, which seemingly had all but locked up a No. 2 seed less than a week ago, slipped down to a No. 3 in the reveal. So what changed – and were the Illini snubbed?

Did Illinois deserve the final No. 2 seed over Purdue?

Mar 13, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood gestures to refs against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The answer to the first part of that question is relatively simple: Purdue has been hooping. Matt Painter’s club won four straight games to win the Big Ten Tournament, which was headlined by a monster championship-game triumph over Michigan, which was handed just its third loss of the season.

And the Boilermakers, who were walked all over by the Wolverines a month ago in Mackey Arena, didn’t “sneak” past Michigan. Lead guard Braden Smith dictated the game on both sides of the floor and Purdue controlled the contest, cruising to an eight-point win.

On the flip side, the Illini put together a performance reflective of their entire campaign thus far: After building a 15-point lead – and at two different points of the game, mind you – over a stellar Wisconsin unit, Illinois blundered it before crumbling in overtime yet again.

But was all of that enough for the Boilermakers to earn the final No. 2 seed? Illinois remains ahead of Purdue in KenPom and Bart Torvik, along with the NET rankings for the time being (will be updated on Monday morning). But key metrics aside, the Boilermakers finished seventh in their own conference.

The counterargument: They did win the Big Ten Tournament. Oh, but when Michigan won the conference tournament a year ago, the Wolverines were handed a No. 5 seed despite compiling a better league record than this year’s Purdue squad. Puzzling, huh?

Two key caveats, though: 1) Purdue was much better than that Michigan team in non-conference games, and 2) the Boilermakers just manhandled one of the Big Ten's best squads – this year’s Michigan – in recent memory. (Don't worry, we'll pick a side some day.)

For perhaps the first time this year, Purdue appears to be every bit the preseason No. 1 it was projected to be. As for Illinois, well, it’s a tale as old as Brad Underwood’s nine years in Champaign: sky-high ceiling, ground-level floor.

The committee rewards momentum – and Purdue is scalding hot. But given how little stock the committee has put in conference tournaments prior to this season, it is a bit of a shock to see the Boilermakers, whose season was crumbling like a dry biscuit just days ago, fly ahead of at least four other clubs.

Mar 14, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter gestures to his team against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Then, there’s also this: Illinois went into Mackey Arena and beat Purdue. Naturally, if there’s a wide resume disparity between a pair of clubs, head-to-head results are rarely taken into account (obviously Ohio State’s win over Purdue doesn’t mean the Buckeyes should be slotted above the Boilers).

But when the Illini rank ahead of the Boilermakers in the major metrics, finish with a better record in conference play and win the lone head-to-head matchup – which, again, came on the road – how can Purdue still be slotted above Illinois?

Admittedly, there are four good reasons: a blowout win over Northwestern, a steamrolling of Nebraska, a gritty victory over UCLA and, of course, the Michigan triumph.

Illinois was in control of its own fate. Beat Wisconsin, and that No. 2 seed is very likely the Illini’s. Knock off Michigan after that, and the No. 2 seed is fully secured.

Rattle off three straight victories and win the Big Ten Tournament, the Illini might have earned that final one seed after Florida and UConn went down in their respective conference tournaments. Instead, Illinois took its foot off the gas, fell to Wisconsin and, as a result, must live with the consequences.

Did Illinois deserve the final No. 2 seed over Purdue?

Illinois on SI verdict: Purdue deserved the No. 2 seed