Illinois women’s basketball took care of the first step. Now comes the much bigger one.
After knocking off Colorado 66-57 in the first round Saturday night, the No. 7-seeded Illini advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. Illinois (22-11) will get a crack at No. 2 seed Vanderbilt (28-4) on the Commodores’ home floor, with a Sweet 16 berth on the line.
FIGHTING ILLINI 🤝 DANCING ILLINI
(7) Illinois advances to the Round of 32 after battling past (10) Colorado 66–57.#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/XOJZxCuA1O
Shauna Green’s group has already shown it belongs in March. Illinois defended at a high level against Colorado, looked poised in key moments and once again proved that this program is no longer just happy to be in the field. But the challenge ramps up now. Vanderbilt rolled past High Point 102-61 in its opener and will have the crowd, the comfort and the seed advantage heading into Monday night’s matchup in Nashville.
Here’s more information about Monday’s second-round Illinois-Vanderbilt matchup:
Check out Maddie Webber's reaction to her buzzer beater last night! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/QC2p9Ivpwk
No. 7 seed Illinois will face No. 2 seed Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The winner will move on to the Sweet 16 in the Fort Worth 1 Regional.
Illinois and Vanderbilt will meet on Monday, March 23 at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
Illinois vs. Vanderbilt will be televised on ESPN2. Beth Mowins, Debbie Antonelli and Jess Sims will be on the call.
Audio of the game can be heard on radio affiliates of the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (Champaign: WDWS 93.9 FM or 1400 AM; Chicago: WLS 890 AM) and streamed at Fighting Illini Productions and the Varsity Network App.
Illinois and Vanderbilt have not met since 1988, when the Illini pulled out a 73-68 win in Champaign. The all-time series is tied 1-1, so Monday’s second-round showdown will serve as the rubber match.
A lot. It has been nearly 40 years since Illinois and Vanderbilt last played, so this is essentially a brand-new matchup. The women’s game has changed dramatically since then, and so have both programs. Illinois is now in the middle of a real breakthrough under Shauna Green, with the Illini back in the NCAA Tournament and looking to build on a first-round win over Colorado.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, enters this one as a No. 2 seed and one of the better teams in the field. The Commodores have the higher seed, home-floor advantage and one of the top scorers in the country in Mikayla Blakes. So although the all-time series is tied 1-1, the history doesn't mean much here. This is a fresh matchup with a Sweet 16 berth on the line.
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Primarily covers Illinois football, basketball and golf, with an emphasis on news, analysis and features. Hegde, an electrical engineering student at Illinois with an affinity for sports writing, has been writing for On SI since April 2025. He can be followed and reached on Instagram @pranavhegde__.
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