4 Seed Illinois Opens Big Ten Tournament Friday at United Center

4 ILLINOIS (24-7, 15-5 B1G) vs. 5 Wisconsin/12 Washington  //  Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal
B1G Tournament Central	BigTen.org
Quarterfinal	4 Illinois vs. 5 Wisconsin/12 Washington
Date | Time	Friday, March 13, 2026 | 1:30 p.m. CT
Location	Chicago, Ill. | United Center
Buy Tickets	TicketMaster.com
TV	BTN (Jeff Levering, Don MacLean & Rick Pizzo)
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Printable Notes	Illinois
Pregame Press Conference	Coach Underwood (March 11)
2025-26 Stats	Illinois | Wisconsin / Washington | Big Ten
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Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 298-135 (.688), 13th year
At Illinois: 189-108 (.636), 9th year
Big Ten: 107-71 (.601)
Big Ten Tournament: 8-5 (.615)

Series History - BTT Quarterfinal Potential Opponents

WISCONSIN (5 SEED)
Series Record / Streak: Illinois leads 119-91 / Wisconsin W-2
Last Meeting: Wisconsin 92, #8 Illinois 90 - OT (Feb. 10 at Champaign)
Record in the Big Ten Tournament / Streak: Illinois leads 4-3 / Illinois W-2
Last Meeting in the Big Ten Tournament: #13 Illinois 93, Wisconsin 87 (March 17, 2024 at Minneapolis, Championship)
Underwood vs. Wisconsin Overall / In BTT: 9-6 / 1-0

WASHINGTON (12 SEED)
Series Record / Streak: Tied 4-4 / Illinois W-2
Last Meeting: #9 Illinois 75, Washington 66 (Jan. 29 at Champaign)  
Record in the Big Ten Tournament: 0-0
Underwood vs. Washington Overall / In BTT: 2-0 / 0-0

UP NEXT

Illinois is the No. 4 seed in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament and opens play at the United Center in Chicago in the quarterfinal round on Friday at approximately 1:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network, facing the winner of Thursday's third-round game between No. 5 seed Wisconsin and No. 12 seed Washington.

Illinois is 24-7 overall, notching the program's most regular-season victories in the last 20 years. Illinois was Big Ten runner-up at 15-5, tying the second-most conference wins in school history. Head Coach Brad Underwood now owns the top three, and five of the top nine, winningest Big Ten seasons ever at Illinois.

This is the fifth time in the last seven years that Underwood has led the Illini to a top-4 Big Ten Tournament seed and bye into the quarterfinals. Illinois has four Big Ten Tournament titles all-time, including two in the Underwood era in 2021 and 2024.

Illinois is the winningest team in Big Ten play this decade, registering 96 league victories since 2019-20. The Illini are also one of only four teams nationally to record 20-win regular seasons in each of the last seven years, joined by Gonzaga, Houston, and San Diego State.

Illini Big Ten Tournament (BTT) Notes

• Illinois enters the 2026 Big Ten Tournament as the No. 4 seed after posting a 15-5 league record to finish in a tie for league runner-up. Under head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois is the winningest team in Big Ten play this decade, and the only program with a winning B1G record in each of the last seven seasons.
• Head coach Brad Underwood is 8-5 (.615) in the BTT for his career, the second-best win percentage among active B1G head coaches (minimum four games) behind Michigan State's Tom Izzo at .632 (36-21). 
• Illinois has earned a bye into the BTT quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last seven years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2026.
• Illinois is 35-23 (.603) all-time with four Big Ten Tournament Championships. In the Underwood era, the Illini are 8-5 (.615) with tournament titles in 2021 and 2024. 
• Illinois' first two Big Ten Tournament titles – 2003 and 2005 – were both won in Chicago at the United Center. 
• Illinois is the No. 4 seed in the BTT for the third time. The Illini went 2-1 as the No. 4 seed in 2000, earning a quarterfinal win over No. 5 Indiana (72-69) and a semifinal victory over No. 9 Penn State (94-84) before falling to No. 2 seed Michigan State (61-76) in the championship game. The Illini were also the No. 4 seed in 2020 but did not play its quarterfinal game because the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  
• Illinois has the third-most all-time BTT wins with 35:
  1. Ohio State, 38
  2. Michigan State, 36
  3. ILLINOIS, 35
• Illinois has won four BTT championships (2003, 2005, 2021, 2024), tied for third-most in the league:
  1. Michigan State, 6
  2. Ohio State, 5
  T3. ILLINOIS & Michigan, 4
• Illinois has the third-most BTT championship game appearances, advancing to the title game eight times:
  1. Ohio State, 10
  2. Wisconsin, 9
  3. ILLINOIS, 8 
• Illinois has advanced to the BTT semifinals 14 times, tied for the second-most semifinal appearances:
  1. Michigan State, 17
  T2. ILLINOIS & Wisconsin, 14
  4. Ohio State, 13
• Illinois is 25-8 in BTT games when it is the higher (better) seed, and has won four straight games as the higher seed entering the 2026 tournament. 
• Illinois owns a 19-8 all-time record in its opening game of the BTT. The Illini are 11-3 when playing its first game on Friday (quarterfinals).
• Illinois is 14-7 all-time in quarterfinal games at the BTT, with its .667 winning percentage the best of any team in the quarterfinal round.
• When opening the BTT in the quarterfinals, Illinois has gone on to produce a 21-10 overall record. Each of the Illini's four BTT championship runs – 2003, 2005, 2021, and 2024 – began on Friday.
• Illinois will not know its quarterfinal opponent until the result of Thursday's third-round game between fifth-seeded Wisconsin and 12 seed Washington. The Huskies defeated 13 USC in Wednesday's second round.
• In the BTT, Illinois is 4-3 vs. Wisconsin, and has yet to face second-year Big Ten member Washington. The Illini have won two straight BTT games vs. the Badgers (2024 Championship and 2010 Quarterfinal). 
• Illinois is 6-0 in the BTT vs. No. 5 seeds and 0-1 vs. the 12 seed. 
• Six players on the current Fighting Illini roster have Big Ten Tournament experience, led by senior Kylan Boswell, who averaged 19.0 points in two BTT games last season, highlighted by a season-high 24 points with seven assists in the second-round win over Iowa. Tomislav Ivisic also had a double-double in that game, totaling 19 points and 10 boards with a season-high six assists.

OPENING TIPS

• Head coach Brad Underwood has led the Illini to a seventh-consecutive 20+- win season. Illinois is one of only four teams nationally to record 20-win regular seasons every year since 2019-20, joined by Gonzaga, Houston, and San Diego State.
• Illinois enters the postseason at 24-7, the team's most regular-season victories in the last 20 years since the 2005-06 Illini squad, led by seniors Dee Brown and James Augustine, won 25 regular-season games.
• Illinois finished 15-5 in Big Ten play to tie for runner-up in the league race. The Illini's 15 conference wins tied Underwood's 2022 Big Ten title squad for the second-most league wins in school history. Underwood led the 2021 Illini to a school-record 16 B1G wins. 
• Underwood now owns the top three, and five of the top nine, winningest B1G seasons in program history, all coming within the last seven seasons:     » 1. 16 in 2021      » T2. 15 in 2026 and 2022      » T6. 14 in 2024      » T9. 13 in 2020
• Illinois has six Quad 1A wins, tied for third-most in the NCAA behind Duke (9) and Michigan (8). Illinois has seven total wins in Quad 1, tied for 12th nationally.
• Illinois is the winningest team in Big Ten play over the last seven seasons with 96 regular-season conference victories since 2019-20. 
• Illinois tied the school record for Big Ten road wins this season with an 8-2 record. Underwood's 2021 squad also won eight Big Ten road games. 
• Over the last seven seasons, Brad Underwood has led the Illini to a league-most 42 Big Ten road wins.  
• Including the Big Ten Tournament, the Fighting Illini also lead the league with 103 wins over Big Ten opponents over the last seven seasons.  
• Illinois leads the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (132.0), owning what currently stands as the highest offensive rating in the history of the kenpom era (since 1996-97). 
• The Fighting Illini also boast the No. 26 defensive efficiency (99.3) in the nation, according to kenpom. 
• Kenpom rates the Illini as the No. 1 team in the nation in defensive free-throw (19.8). 
• The Illini are one of the top rebounding teams in the country, ranking third nationally in offensive rebound percentage (39.1). 
• Four Fighting Illini average at least 12 points per game, tied for the most nationally: Keaton Wagler (17.9 ppg), Andrej Stojakovic (13.3), Kylan Boswell (13.3), and David Mirkovic (13.2). 
• Illinois is the only team in the nation with seven players averaging at least 4.0 rebounds: David Mirkovic (7.8 rpg), Tomislav Ivisic (5.6), Keaton Wagler (4.9), Zvonimir Ivisic (4.7), Andrej Stojakovic (4.5), Ben Humrichous (4.1), and Kylan Boswell (4.0).

ILLINI NCAA TOURNAMENT RESUME

• Illinois is No. 5 in the latest NCAA NET rankings.
• Illinois has six Quad 1A wins, tied for third nationally behind only Duke (9) and Michigan (8). 
• Illinois has seven Quad 1 wins, tied for 12th nationally. 
• Six of Illinois' seven losses on the season came in Quad 1A matchups. 
• Illinois is one of 13 teams in the nation without a loss outside of Quad 1. 
• Illinois has played 14 Quad 1 games, tied for 19th in the NCAA. 
• Illinois has a combined 14 Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins, tied for 12th in the NCAA.
• Illinois has played a combined 21 Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, tied for 17th most in the NCAA. 
• Illinois' eight rotation players missed a combined 13 games due to injury during the regular season: 
  » Illinois navigated the heart of Big Ten play without senior G Kylan Boswell (broken hand), who earned all-conference honorable mention honors and was named to the B1G All-Defensive Team. During Boswell's seven-game absence, between Jan. 21 and Feb. 10, the Illini started 5-0 before losing two overtime games by a combined five points at No. #10 Michigan State (82-85, OT) and vs. Wisconsin (90-92, OT). 
  » The overtime loss to Wisconsin (Feb. 10) was the first of two consecutive games missed by junior G Andrej Stojakovic due to a sprained ankle. The Illini followed the Wisconsin loss with a 71-51 win over Indiana. Stojakovic also missed the Illini's season opener due to an ankle injury during the preseason. 
  » Junior C Tomislav Ivisic missed three games in November with a knee injury. The Illini went 3-0 with wins over FGCU (113-70), No. 11 Texas Tech (81-77), and Colgate (84-65).

ILLINI ITEMS

• The Illini were projected as a No. 2 seed, seventh overall, when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee revealed its top 16 teams on Feb. 21.   
• Illinois has seven Quad 1 wins, tied for 12th in the NCAA (through games played March 9). Six of Illinois' seven wins in this category are Quad 1A, tied for third-most in the nation behind Duke (9) and Michigan (8). 
• Illinois is No. 5 overall in the NET rankings, second in the Big Ten behind Michigan (2). Illinois is 14-7 on the season combined in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, and 10-0 combined in Quad 3 and Quad 4 matchups.
• Illinois is ranked No. 5 in kenpom, just behind the highest rating of the Brad Underwood era. The Illini finished the 2020-21 season at No. 4.
• Illinois leads the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (132.0). Offensive coordinator Tyler Underwood has helped Brad Underwood implement a top-15 offense for the third straight season after ranking third in 2024 (125.5) and 14th last year (121.9).
• Illinois is No. 9 in both the AP poll and coaches polls. Illinois has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons under Brad Underwood, and in every ranking released so far this season. 
• Illinois finished 14-3 at home, averaging 86.1 points with an average scoring margin of +20.3 ppg.
• Illinois went 10-4 away from home this season, and 8-2 in true road games - all in Big Ten play - to tie the program record for most B1G road wins. 
• Illinois' 15-5 Big Ten record is its best in the Underwood era since also finishing 15-5 in 2021-22 to tie for the regular season championship. 
• Illinois has defeated two Top-5 teams, with wins at No. 4 Purdue and at No. 5 Nebraska. The school record for Top-5 wins in a season is three, set by the 1951-52 Illini squad. 
• Illinois is the tallest team in the nation, with an average height of 80.0 inches (kenpom).
• Illinois is first in the nation in defensive free throw rate (19.8), and second in fewest fouls per game (13.1).
• Illinois ranks fourth in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten with a free-throw percentage of 79.3%. Last year the Illini shot 76.2% at the free-throw line, the second-best season mark in school history behind the 2014-15 team that holds the single-season record at 79.4%. 
• Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten with a scoring average of 84.3 points per game. The Illini led the B1G in scoring last season (83.6 ppg). 
• Along with the No. 1-rated offense (132.0) of the kenpom era, the Illini are No. 26 in defense (99.3) this year.
• Illinois is averaging 16.1 second chance points per game (500), which leads the Big Ten.
• Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten averaging 11.0 three-pointers and has made 10+ 3-pointers in a Big Ten-leading 22 games this season with a 17-5 record. 
• Entering the postseason, the Illini have knocked down at least 10 triples in 18 of the last 23 games, highlighted by a school-record tying 18 treys in the win at No. 4 Purdue (Jan. 24), and 17 threes in the team's home win vs. Northwestern (Feb. 4). 
• Illinois has outrebounded its opponent in 27 of 31 games this season and ranks second in the Big Ten (seventh nationally) in rebound margin at +9.9 rpg. Illinois is 23-4 when it wins the battle on the glass.
• Eight different players have been the Illini's leading scorer in a game this season. That ranks second in the Big Ten and is tied for 10th nationally, overall, and tied for third among power conference programs. 
• Illinois is No. 5 in the kenpom rankings with an adjusted efficiency margin +32.73. The Illini have had a kenpom rating of 35th or better each of the last six years under Brad Underwood, and are just short of the team's high ranking of No. 4 to close out the 2020-21 season. Illinois posted consecutive top-20 rankings the last two seasons: 10th in 2023-24 and 17th in 2024-25.
• At its current scoring pace (84.3 ppg), this year's Illini are challenging to become just the sixth team in program history to average at least 85.0 points for a full season. The Illini opened the 2025-26 campaign with seven straight games of 80+ points. It marked the most such games to open a campaign since the 1988-89 Flyin' Illini scored 80+ in each of their first 12 contests.   
• Brad Underwood has led Illinois to 32 wins over top-25 opponents since 2019-20, with 23 of those wins coming in ranked-vs.-ranked matchups. Illinois' 32 top-25 victories are tied for 10th-most in the NCAA during that span. This season the Illini have ranked wins over No. 11 Texas Tech at home, vs. No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville, at No. 19 Iowa, at No. 4 Purdue, and at No. 5 Nebraska.  
• Illinois is 5-5 this season vs. AP Top 25 teams. Illinois has won 5+ games vs. ranked opponents in four of the last six seasons under head coach Brad Underwood. 
• As a team, Illinois ranks in the top three in the Big Ten, and among the top 30 programs nationally in 12 categories: The Illini lead the Big Ten with 13.1 fouls per game (second in the NCAA), a .793 free-throw percentage (fourth), 40.8 total rebounds per game (10th), and 13.3 offensive rebounds per game (18th), and rank second in the league with 9.0 turnovers per game (fifth in the NCAA), a +9.9 rebound margin (seventh), 11.0 3-pointers per game (11th), a +15.1 scoring margin (11th), 31.5 3-point attempts per game (11th), 27.5 defensive rebounds per game (19th), and a scoring offense of 84.3 points per game (24th). The Illini are third in the B1G with 4.7 blocks per game (26th in the NCAA).  
• Andrej Stojakovic is the second active Illini to reach 1,000 career points, reaching the milestone Jan. 17 vs. Minnesota. Stojakovic now has 1,136 points to rank behind Kylan Boswell (1,247) in the 1,000-point club.
• Illinois claimed eight of 17 Big Ten Freshman of the Week selections this season. Keaton Wagler leads the Big Ten with six honors, while David Mirkovic has garnered two nods. 
• Freshman G Keaton Wagler has scored in double-figures in 23 consecutive games dating back to the Illini's win over No. 13 Tennessee on Dec. 6, including an historic 46-point outburst in a win at No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 24 (more on p. 3). During that stretch, Wagler is averaging a team-leading 19.4 points per game, and ranks fourth in rebounding at 4.8 boards per contest, while shooting 45.1% (133-295) overall, 42.6% (63-148) from 3-point range, and 80.7% (117-145) from the free-throw line. Wagler also leads the team with 116 assists and 23 steals during that stretch. 
• Keaton Wagler leads the Illini and ranks among the Big Ten leaders with: 192 free-throw attempts (4th), 155 free-throws made (5th), 554 total points (8th), 73 3-pointers made (9th), 2.35 3-pointers per game (9th), 365 field goal attempts (9th), 132 total assists (10th), 4.3 assists per game (11th), 17.9 points per game (12th), 178 3-point attempts (12th), 163 field goals made (15th), and a .447 field goal percentage (18th). Wagler also ranks 11th in the Big Ten minutes per game at 33:27.  
• Freshman F David Mirkovic is one of only three freshmen in the nation, along with Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson, averaging at least 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. 
• David Mirkovic leads the Illini and ranks among the Big Ten leaders with: 243 total rebounds (5th), 7.8 total rebounds per game (5th), 5.5 defensive rebounds per game (5th), seven double-doubles (7th), 2.4 offensive rebounds per game (9th). Mirkovic is also fourth on the team with a scoring average of 13.2 ppg (36th). 
• Senior G Kylan Boswell is the Illini's active career leader with 1,258 career points (750 at Illinois), with eight 20+ point games and 40 career double-digit scoring games in Orange and Blue. Boswell has eclipsed the 20-point mark eight times over the last two years, including five times this season. 
• Junior G Andrej Stojakovic transferred to Illinois with a reputation as a prolific scorer and is averaging 13.3 points on 49.3% shooting. Stojakovic has seven games this season with 20+ points, highlighted by 30 points vs. Maryland and 26 points vs. No. 11 Alabama. Stojakovic also posted 23 points the win over No. 11 Texas Tech, and scored 20 and 24, respectively, in Illinois' wins over LIU and UTRGV. In Big Ten play, Stojakovic scored 22 in the Illini's 101-65 victory at USC, and tallied 21 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in a double-double effort vs. Oregon. Stojakovic has led the Illini in scoring in eight games this season. 
• Twin 7-footers Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic rank among the top shooting big men in college basketball. Tomislav is first in the NCAA among 7-footers with 13 games this season with multiple 3-pointers, while Zvonimir is tied for third with nine such games. Tomislav also leads the NCAA among 7-footers at 1.6 3-pointers per game, while Zvonimir ranks tied for sixth at 0.9 triples per contest.
• Zvonimir Ivisic ranks fourth nationally in block rate at 13.2%. He is second in the Big Ten in total blocks (67) and blocks per game (2.2), 17th and 18th in the nation, respectively. His average would rank second all-time in Illinois' record book behind Derek Holcomb (3.0 bpg in 1978-79). The last Illini to average more than two blocks was Nnanna Egwu (2.1 bpg) in 2013-14.
• Ben Humrichous and Jake Davis have been steady role players in helping the Illini to the nation's most efficient offense. Humrichous is ranked No. 1 by kenpom with a turnover rate of 3.6%, and has committed just five turnovers on the year, first nationally among players with at least 600 minutes played. Davis ranks second on that list with just six turnovers and seventh in turnover rate (5.2%). Among all players, regardless of usage rate, Davis (145.9) and Humrichous (136.7), rank second and 15th in the country, respectively, in offensive efficiency rating by kenpom. 

ILLINOIS WHEN RANKED

• The No. 9 Illini have played all 31 games this season ranked in the Top 25. 
• Illinois is 676-274 (.712) all-time in 950 games when ranked in the AP Top 25. The program is 369-56 at home, including a 291-43 mark at State Farm Center, 167-152 on the road, and 140-64 at neutral sites. 
• Under head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois is 114-50 (.695) when ranked.

ILLINOIS WHEN TOP-10 RANKED

• Illinois is ranked in the AP top 10 for the 249th week in program history, including seven weeks this season.
• Illinois is 333-112 (.748) all-time in 445 games when ranked in the AP Top 10.
• When top-10 ranked, the Illini are 174-13 at home (114-9 at State Farm Center), 84-74 on the road, and 75-25 in neutral-site contests.
• Under Brad Underwood, Illinois is 27-15 (.643) when ranked in the top 10.

Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)