Time to Dance: No. 3 Illinois Opens NCAA Run Against Undermanned No. 14 Penn

Greenville, S.C. — The brackets are set, the busses are parked, and the Illini are ready to stomp. Third-seeded Illinois tips off its NCAA tournament Thursday night at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena against 14th-seeded Penn, an Ivy League champion thrilled simply to be back on the national stage and suddenly scrambling for healthy bodies.

The Quakers, making their first March Madness appearance since 2018, will be without senior guard Ethan Roberts, the team’s leading scorer, after a second concussion ended his season earlier this week. Junior forward TJ Power, fresh off a 44-point eruption in the Ivy title game, did not practice Wednesday while battling an unspecified illness and is officially questionable.

“We’re just thrilled to be here,” Penn head coach Fran McCaffery said. “Couldn’t be more proud and excited to be back in this building.”

Illinois, meanwhile, spent the past week trying to recalibrate after an early Big Ten tournament exit. Graduate forward Ben Humrichous said the break allowed the Illini to “get some time for our bodies and our minds,” and head coach Brad Underwood used the practices to hammer the one flaw that keeps nagging his squad: rebounding focus.

The Illini rank third nationally on the glass, yet uneven second-half efforts have cost them in recent games. Underwood put the issue front and center during Saturday’s workout, complete with accountability metrics from the last three outings.

“It’s not just one person, it’s our collective group,” Underwood said. “We have to find that magic back and that eagerness and that second and third effort on the glass.”

Size is the first thing Penn noticed on film. The Quakers will start no player taller than 6-foot-8, while Illinois can roll out a front line anchored by 7-footer Tomislav Ivišić and 6-10 Morez Johnson Jr. Penn’s plan is to neutralize that edge on the boards, then speed the game up in transition.

“I think the biggest key is rebounding,” Penn guard Cam Thrower said. “Our job is to box out and make sure that we hold them to one shot.”

Beyond the arc, Penn can still fling it. The Quakers are 14th in the country at 38.6 percent from three, and even without Roberts (40.1 percent), shooters like Thrower (41.7) and Michael Zanoni (39.0) can ignite a run. If Power plays — Underwood said he is preparing as if the forward will — Penn could deploy three 40-percent snipers at once.

“Defend the three — that’s the name of the game,” Illini guard Kylan Boswell said. “Our communication and mental focus coming into this game will be huge.”

Illinois will debut several freshmen in the tournament, including guard Keaton Wagler and forward David Mirković. Wagler, who called this roster “one of my favorite teams I’ve ever been a part of,” said the goal is simple: “make a deep run.”

For Penn, the stage itself is new. The program doesn’t charter flights during Ivy play; the trip to Greenville was the team’s first this season. Sophomore guard AJ Levine called the opportunity “every hooper’s dream,” while Zanoni — whose parents met as students in Champaign — admitted a little extra juice in drawing Illinois.

Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 8:50 p.m. CT, with the winner advancing to face either No. 6 BYU or No. 11 Alabama in Saturday’s second round.