Three Keys & a Pick: No. 3 seed Illinois vs. No. 11 seed VCU

No. 3 seed Illinois (25-8) vs. No. 11 seed VCU (28-7)

Date & Time: March 21, 6:50 p.m. CT

Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville, S.C.)

TV: CBS (Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill & Tracy Wolfson)

QUICK HITS

• The Illini are coming off a 105-70 win over No. 14 seed Penn in the Round of 64 on Thursday, setting a program record for points scored in a single game in the NCAA Tournament.
• Illinois is seventh on KenPom, currently ranking second nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and 28th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.
• The Illini are looking to reach their second Sweet Sixteen in three seasons and 13th Sweet Sixteen in program history.
• Illinois has a 47-36 all-time record in NCAA Tournament games. Its 47 wins rank tied for 20th among all schools and third among schools yet to win a national championship, only trailing Purdue and Gonzaga.
• The Illini are 7-4 in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed and 4-0 against No. 11 seeds. They are 35-16 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as the higher (better) seed.
• Brad Underwood is 7-5 in the NCAA Tournament during his Illinois tenure and 9-9 in his career, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2024. He’s one win away from reaching 300 career wins as a Division I head coach.
• Illinois is 1-0 all-time against VCU. defeating the Rams 64-46 on Dec. 3, 2016. Brad Underwood’s Stephen F. Austin team beat No. 5 seed VCU, 77-75 in overtime, in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
• Phil Martelli Jr. is in his first season as head coach at VCU after spending two seasons at Bryant. Martelli led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in 2025 and has a 71-32 career record.
• The Rams defeated No. 6 seed North Carolina, 82-78 in overtime, on Thursday in the Round of 64, erasing a 19-point second-half deficit. Sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr. scored 34 points, freshman guard Nyk Lewis had 16 points and junior big man Lazar Djokovic tallied 15 points.
• VCU is currently 42nd on KenPom. The Rams are 46th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and 54th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.
• The Rams have won 17 of their last 18 games entering Saturday’s game. They went 1-2 against high-major opponents during the regular season and 2-4 in Quad 1 games.
• Illinois is an 11.5-point favorite in this matchup, which has an over/under of 151.5. The Illini are 19-14 against the spread this season.