Fighting Illini Secure #7 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Take on [10] Colorado in First Round on Saturday

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For the third time under head coach Shauna Green, the Illinois women’s basketball team has earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Illini have secured back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since making four consecutive trips from 1996-2000. Illinois is going dancing for the 11th time in program history with Sunday’s selection to the 2026 field.

Illinois will face [10] Colorado (22-11) on Saturday, March 21, at 8:30 p.m. CT hosted by No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. The winner of the first-round game between the Illini and the Buffaloes will take on the winner of No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt and No. 15-seeded High Point on Monday. Action will be on ESPN2.

Green’s Illini will be the youngest team across the 68-team NCAA Tournament field. The Illinois squad was the youngest in the Big Ten and ranked as the third-youngest power conference (P4 + Big East) team during the 2025-26 season.

The Orange and Blue enter the NCAA Tournament with a 21-11 record, which marks the first time in program history that Illinois has won 21+ games in back-to-back seasons. The Illini also secured back-to-back seasons with 20+ wins for just the third time in program history.

Illinois is looking to secure an NCAA Tournament win in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns – a stretch that extended four seasons back through 1996-97.

During the 2025-26 season, Illinois registered three ranked wins, including the first top-10 win of the Shauna Green era, coming against #7 Maryland on New Year’s Day in State Farm Center. 

In the Big Ten Tournament, the Fighting Illini battled through the first and second rounds to make an appearance in the quarterfinals for the second time under Green and just the third time since 2011. Illinois won its second go-arounds with Wisconsin (82-70) and  #18/17 Michigan State (71-69) before bowing out.

Four student-athletes earned All-Big Ten recognition: Berry Wallace (First Team), Cearah Parchment (Honorable Mention, All-Freshman Team), Destiny Jackson (All-Freshman Team), and Gisela Segura (Sportsmanship Award).

Illinois enters the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament with a 9-10 all-time record in the event. The Illini are making their third appearance in a four-year span for the first time since earning four consecutive bids during the 1996-97 through 1999-2000 campaigns.

Including her time as the head coach at Dayton, Green has now led seven squads to NCAA Tournament appearances. Dating back to her time at Loras College (D3), Green has led her last 11 teams to winning seasons.