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Upsets, Final Four picks & region breakdowns for the NCAA Tournament Field of 68
The brackets are officially set. Tina and Chris break down the NCAA Tournament Field of 68, including their Final Four picks and upsets to watch out for.
Now that's more like it, Illinois basketball.
The No. 3-seeded Illini pulled away from the Ivy League champ and No. 14-seeded Penn with an epic presence in the post and beyond the arc.
The Illini pasted Penn 105-70. It was the kind of win that gets Illinois over a collapse in the Big Ten Tournament.
Here are our takeaways from Illinois basketball's dominant win over Penn to open the NCAA
The Illini took care of business
Illinois did what it needed to do.
The Fighting Illini won the rebounding battle, dominated the paint, thrived with second-chance points and sniped from beyond the arc.
This is how good Illinois can be when it's firing on all cylinders. Any argument that Penn is just an Ivy League program is moot. The Illini needed this kind of win when they dominated in the facets of the game they were built to dominate in.
Illinois won the rebounding battle 48-25. The Illini post presence forced Penn's post players into foul trouble. When the Quakers adjusted, the Illini didn't let up. Instead, they continued the onslaught.
With 6:21 left in the game, Illinois was shooting just under 50 percent from the floor for the game.
This was the kind of domination that Illinois was always capable of. The team dominated in this way in January.
The other star freshman shined
Keaton Wagler is the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
You can't forget about David Mirkovic. Penn coach Fran McCaffrey certainly won't after Thursday night.
Mirkovic scored 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a dominant double-double. He showed why Illinois is so stellar and earned a No. 3 seed with his versatile performance.
Mirkovic shot 3-pointers, dominated the glass and was the player who helped Illinois pull away.
Penn shifted to a 2-3 zone defense in the second half. The best way to beat a zone is with precise passing and offensive movement, two things Mirkovic specializes in offensively.
Wagler shined, too. He nailed four 3-pointers, scored 18 points and was a big reason the Illini scored 60 points in the second half to blow away the Quakers.
Wagler had seven assists, but Mirkovic had three of his own. His versatile offensive game was on display.
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 19: Kylan Boswell #4 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts with teammates after a basket and a foul during the second half against the Penn Quakers in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at …
Moving on in March
Illinois will move on to Saturday. Next up: No. 11 seed VCU.
The Rams came back from down 19 points against North Carolina to stun the Tar Heels. That will be on Illinois' mind.
Illini coach Brad Underwood isn't taking any team lightly in March.
"It's what we talk about all year," Underwood said. "It's not just getting in the Tournament, but the margins are very small. Every team here is great. They've either won their league, had great, great seasons and an at-large, or they've won their tournament. So they're hot or they've had great seasons."
Illinois has a chance to live up to these words on Saturday at 6:50 p.m.