Illinois’ 2026 NCAA Tournament seed officially revealed

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Zack Pearson | Last updated Mar 15, 2026 9:09 PM ET

The Illinois Fighting Illini are heading to Greenville, South Carolina as part of the South Region in the NCAA Tournament.

The full 68-team field was officially set on Sunday as the committee unveiled it’s seeds and bracket. For Illinois, they earned a No. 3 seed in the South Region and will matchup against Penn on Thursday for the first round.

For Illinois, they finished the regular season 24-8 but were upset by Wisconsin in Friday’s quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Still, they did well enough this season to earn a No. 3 seed and a chance to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

Also in the South Region is a potential match-up with No. 6 North Carolina in Greenville, a rematch of the 2005 National Championship. The Tar Heels are set to face off against No. 11 VCU.

FULL NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET

The region also includes No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Houston and No. 4 Nebraska.

This will be Illinois’ sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Illinois set to face familiar foe in 2026 NCAA Tournament

Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

When the Fighting Illini take the court on Thursday, they will see a familiar face on the Penn coaching staff. Longtime Iowa head coach Fran McCaffrey is now the coach at Penn, leading them to the NCAA Tournament this season. He coached at Iowa from 2010-2025 and put together a really good season at Penn. The Quakders won Ivy League and clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Despite finishing third in the Ivy League, they beat Yale in overtime behind TJ Power’s 44 points. Power previously spent time at both Duke and Virginia before transferring to Penn.

The Quakers are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country, shooting 38.1% which is 16th in the nation. Plus, with McCaffrey’s experience against Illinois, he may have a little insight on how to play the Fighting Illini defensively.

Tip time for Thursday is still to be determined.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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