Illinois basketball: The Illini's opponent in March Madness and how to watch Illinois
Illinois coach Brad Underwood on team’s momentum and Morez Johnson’s recovery
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood sat down with Fox 32's Cassie Carlson on Thursday to talk about the team hitting its stride at the right time, the importance of staying healthy, and how former Illinois engineers created a custom cast to aid Morez Johnson's wrist injury recovery.
Illinois basketball is back in the Big Dance.
The Illini are playing in the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight year. They'll try and recreate the success they had last season where head coach Brad Underwood led Illinois to the Elite Eight, where the Illini fell to eventual NCAA Champion UConn.
Here's what you need to know about the Illini when they play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Where is Illinois playing in the NCAA Tournament
The Illini don't have to travel far for their NCAA Tournament game.
Illinois is the No. 6 seed in the Midwest region of the NCAA Tournament bracket. They'll take their talents to Milwaukee, Wisc., in the heart of Wisconsin Badger territory.
Underwood and friends will have a solid place to play, too. Teams in the Midwest Region that play in Milwaukee will play at the Fiserv Forum, the arena where Marquette and the Milwaukee Bucks play.
Who is Illinois playing in the NCAA Tournament
Illinois has some homework to do.
Their opponent on Friday will come from the winner of Wednesday's play-in game in Dayton between Texas and Xavier.
Illinois will have to watch and wait.
"We’ve obviously got two opponents to start looking at a little bit.," Underwood told reporters on Sunday. "I don’t know much about Xavier and/or Texas other than they’ve been historically very good programs and obviously had success enough to make this year’s tournament."
The winner of Texas-Xavier will play Illinois at 8:45 p.m. on Friday in Milwaukee. The Illini will have their chance to prepare,
How to watch Illinois in the NCAA Tournament
TV: CBS
Stream: Paramount Plus on CBS, MAX and March Madness Live
Radio: AM 890
The Illini will get one of the primetime slots on Friday night regardless of their opponent.
Illinois will play on CBS at 8:45 p.m., playing on the main CBS broadcast instead one of the other channels in TNT, TBS and Tru TV.
There are also opportunities to stream Illinois' game on MAX and Paramount+, which will carry the CBS games during the tournament. YouTube TV subscribers will also have a chance to watch on their local CBS affiliate.