Texas vs Illinois prediction: Preview, how to watch NCAA Tournament game
Danny DavisWith a Sweet 16 spot on the line, the Texas and Illinois women's basketball teams will meet Monday afternoon for the first time in nearly 25 years.
This reunion between Texas and Illinois (1 p.m., ESPN, 103.1) is taking place in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A No. 1 seed, Texas opened its 37th NCAA appearance Saturday with a 105-61 win over 16th-seeded William & Mary. Meanwhile, No. 8 Illinois beat Creighton 66-57 for its first victory in the NCAA Tournament since 2000.
Texas owns a 3-0 lead in its all-time series with Illinois. The two teams last met on Dec. 5, 2000.
What channel is Texas vs Illinois?
TV Channel: ESPN
Radio: 103.1 FM
WATCH TEXAS WOMEN'S HOOPS HERE
What time does Texas women's basketball play?
Date: March 24
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
Is Texas still tinkering with its lineup?
When the Texas starting lineup is announced Monday, there shouldn't be many surprises. Dating back to last season, guard Shay Holle has started 61 straight games. Rori Harmon has started all 35 of UT's games this season and the only things that have kept Madison Booker (34 starts) and Taylor Jones (33) out of the starting lineup have been minor injuries.
But as it opened its NCAA Tournament run against William & Mary on Saturday, Texas gave freshman guard Jordan Lee her first start since Dec. 29. And then freshman forward Justice Carlton, who didn't play a minute in the first half, started in Lee's place to begin the second half. After starting in 12 of UT's previous 13 games, forward Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda scored 10 points but played sparingly against the Tribe.
So is Texas still figuring out its starting lineup? Or was UT coach Vic Schaefer just playing the matchups?
"The answer is yes and yes," Schaefer said after the 44-point win. "I told my team the other day, they probably don't know this, but you have to remember I put three, maybe four, starters on the bench at Mississippi State going into the '18 NCAA Tournament, and we made it all the way to the national championship game. I know what I'm looking at every day, I know who's working hard, I know who's being productive. I believe in playing kids that are bringing it. If we can be better with a different lineup, we're going to play it."
Longtime Longhorn Shay Holle's final home game
Since Moody Center opened for the 2022-23 season, Texas has played 53 games inside of the venue. Holle has appeared in all of them.
Win or lose, Monday will be Holle's final game at Moody. An Austin native and fifth-year senior, Holle is UT's all-time leader in games played and wins. As a senior, she's averaging 6.7 points and 2.3 rebounds.
Illinois' Kendall Bostic is one of nation's top rebounders
Illinois' Kendall Bostic scored 12 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in Saturday's win over Creighton. That was her 20th double-double of the season, a total that has been exceeded nationally by only LSU's Aneesah Morrow (28 double-doubles), Coppin State's Laila Lawrence (22), Bethune-Cookman's Asianae Nicholson (22) and Southern Illinois' Gift Uchenna (21).
Fourteen of Bostic's rebounds were defensive, and her average of 9.1 defensive boards per game ranks second nationally. She's listed on the roster as a 6-foot-2 forward although Illinois coach Shauna Green suggested at a recent press conference that Bostic had been given an inch on that document.
"Just absolutely amazing how she does what she does at her size," Green said. "I wish I could sit here and say we taught her all that. A lot of it in rebounding with KB, she has a knack for it. She has a feel for going after the ball, where it's going to come off. The most important thing about it is, she has a great deal of pride and passion to rebound. That's what rebounding is; rebounding is heart."
Illinois will need Bostic to perform well on the defensive glass. At 15.9 offensive rebounds per game, Texas is a top-10 team when it comes to that statistical category.
Texas vs. Illinois prediction
Texas. Illinois will be more of a formidable foe for Texas than William & Mary, but the Longhorns have tournament experience and depth as advantages in this game.