Illinois

Keys to victory, players to watch, prediction for Xavier vs. Illinois in NCAA Tournament

Published

1 year ago

March 20, 2025

Press Room

Keys to victory, players to watch, prediction for Xavier vs. Illinois in NCAA Tournament

Xavier and Illinois last met in the Maui Invitational in 2019.

Xavier plays Illinois Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois is favored, but Xavier is playing in a familiar venue.
Xavier must slow down Illinois’ offense to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

Xavier is into the 64-team field of the NCAA Tournament after pulling out a thrilling 86-80 victory over the Texas Longhorns in the First Four Wednesday night in Dayton.

It’s a quick turnaround for Xavier, but the Musketeers will play in another familiar venue as they battle No. 6 Illinois Friday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Xavier had lost its first six games against Marquette at Fiserv Forum before a 59-57 upset of the then-No. 7 Golden Eagles Jan. 18. It will be a neutral site contest this time around when Xavier takes on an Illinois program that is very familiar with the pressures of the NCAA Tournament.

3 keys to a Xavier Musketeers’ win over Illinois Fighting Illini in NCAA Tournament 1st round

1. Xavier must slow down one of nation’s highest-scoring offenses

In the aforementioned Xavier upset of Marquette, the Musketeers turned one of their best defensive efforts to pull out their only Quad 1 win of the year.

Xavier held Marquette to just 37.1% shooting (8-for-29 from three-point range), kept the Golden Eagles off the free-throw line (3-for-7) and forced 13 turnovers.

It will be an even bigger test Friday as Xavier tries to punch its ticket to the second round. Illinois ranks No. 15 in KenPom in offensive efficiency. Illinois is No. 11 in scoring offense at 83.8 points per game and does a lot of damage near the rim as the No. 18 shooting team from two-point range.

Xavier always likes to play fast and that matches what Illinois likes to do as the No. 18 team in the country in adjusted tempo, per KenPom.

Can Xavier’s defense Friday be the unit that showed up in the second half against Texas and held the red-hot Longhorns to 33 points on 37.5% shooting?

2. Can Xavier force long misses?

Illinois loves shooting from the perimeter. The Fighting Illini attempt 46.9% of its field goals from beyond the arc, which is the 30th-highest rate in the country.

The problem? Illinois is the fifth-worst three-point shooting team in the NCAA Tournament (No. 316 in the nation). Xavier’s defense must be tough near the rim against a bigger lineup and force Illinois out of what it does best and into more attempts from the perimeter. Illinois connects from downtown at just a 31.1% clip, which was 17th in the 18-team Big 10.

Xavier’s defensive rebounding will be tested

In Tuesday’s pre-tournament press conferences in Dayton, Xavier sophomore Dailyn Swain said the Musketeers’ improvement on the glass helped propel the team down the stretch to an at-large bid.

The numbers back it up. Per BartTorvik.com, Xavier ranks No. 8 in the country in defensive rebounding since the Musketeers hit a “low point” in early January after giving up 20 offensive boards and 22 second-chance points in a home loss to St. John’s.

Xavier lost the rebounding battle to Texas, 33-28 and gave up nine offensive boards.

Illinois will certainly test Xavier on the glass, and it will be on the key matchups to watch. Illinois might be a bottom-half shooting team, but the Fighting Illini clean up their misses as they ranked No. 18 in the country and first in the Big 10 in offensive rebounding.

Xavier Musketeers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini

Tip: Friday, 9:45 p.m. (E.T.), Fiserv Forum (17,385)

TV/Radio: CBS/Westwood One

Ratings: Xavier is No. 41 in KenPom and Illinois is No. 20. Xavier is No. 45 in the NCAA NET Rankings and Illinois is No. 17.

History: The two teams have split four all-time meetings with Xavier winning the last two. The Musketeers won, 65-59, at then-U.S. Bank Arena in Dec. 2006 and in the Maui Invitation in 2019.

Illinois Fighting Illini scouting report

Record: 21-12

Head coach: Brad Underwood (164-100 at Illinois, eighth season)

Offense: 83.8 ppg

Defense: 74.6 ppg

Overview: Brad Underwood has now taken Illinois to the NCAA Tournament in five consecutive seasons and broke through last year with a Sweet 16 appearance.

With its streaky shooting, Illinois was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team throughout the year. The Fighting Illini spent 10 weeks in the AP poll, but dropped seven of 11 between Jan. 19-Feb. 22 before a three-game winning streak to end the regular season.

Illinois raced past Iowa in the opening round of the Big 10 Tournament before getting trounced by Maryland, 88-65, in the quarterfinals March 14.

Projected starting lineup

(Pos., Height, Stats)

Kylan Boswell (G, 6’2″, 11.9 ppg)

Kasparas Jakucionis (G, 6’6″, 15 ppg)

Tre White (G, 6’7″, 10.7 ppg)

Will Riley (F, 6’8″, 12.5 ppg)

Tomislav Ivisic (C, 7’1″, 12.5 ppg)

Xavier Musketeers scouting report

Record: 22-11

Head coach: Sean Miller (185-86 at Xavier, eighth season)

Offense: 78.3 ppg

Defense: 71.2 ppg

Projected starting lineup

(Pos., Height, Stats)

Dayvion McKnight (G, 6’0″, 9.5 ppg)

Ryan Conwell (G, 6’4″, 16.7 ppg)

Marcus Foster (G, 6’5″, 8 ppg)

Dailyn Swain (G/F, 6’8″, 10.5 ppg)

Zach Freemantle (F, 6’9″, 17.2 ppg)

Players to watch

Xavier’s biggest concern against a tall Illinois lineup is sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic. The 7-footer from Croatia is averaging 12.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game and could impact several shot attempts against a Xavier offense that gets its shots blocked at one of the nation’s highest rates.

Xavier’s offense got its biggest bump from Marcus Foster at UD Arena as the veteran guard went 8-for-9 from the field and knocked down four 3-pointers for a season-high 22 points. Foster hadn’t scored in double figures since Feb. 15. Illinois ranks No. 143 defensive against 3-pointers and is top 20 defending inside the arc.

Xavier also got 22 points off the bench against Texas thanks to the hot shooting of Dante Maddox Jr. and Jerome Hunter.

Hunter, the only player around for the Sweet 16 run since Freemantle was hurt, hit multiple three-pointers for the first time in the calendar year.

Xavier vs. Illinois pick and score prediction

Xavier’s defense got a wakeup call after giving up 89 points against Marquette in a Big East Tournament loss. Xavier won’t have the home-court advantage it had at UD Arena, but the Musketeers use another all-in defensive effort to upset the Fighting Illini.

Xavier’s offense should get quality looks against an Illinois defense that was 14th in the Big 10 in scoring (74.6 points per game) and the Musketeers are equipped to win in a track meet.

Five teams that started in the First Four have advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. There’s reason to believe Xavier could follow that trend.

Final score prediction: Xavier 81, Illinois 77

Source link

Click to comment

Illinois

Ex-Illinois teacher awaiting deportation linked to Tren de Aragua mass shooting in Chicago: DHS

Published

9 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Ex-Illinois teacher awaiting deportation linked to Tren de Aragua mass shooting in Chicago: DHS

'Another day in Chicago': 8 wounded, 3 fatally in Gage Park mass shooting

CHICAGO – A former Illinois teacher living in the United States illegally, who was allegedly involved in a 2024 Tren de Aragua mass shooting that killed three people at a Chicago house party, was arrested by federal authorities, officials said Monday.

Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti, 32, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela with dual citizenship in Italy, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on May 13, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.

Occhipinti entered the U.S. in October 2021 under the Visa Waiver Program and was supposed to leave by Jan. 2, 2022. She overstayed her visa, DHS said.

On the night of the Dec. 2, 2024, shooting, she allegedly drove the two gunmen—Ricardo Granadillo Padilla and Edward Martinez Cermeno—to the scene of the crime, where five people were injured in addition to the three fatalities, authorities said.

“Although Chicago police arrested this illegal alien shortly after the shooting, sanctuary politicians released her from jail without notifying ICE,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS is doing the job that sanctuary politicians in Illinois refuse to do: putting the American people first and removing these dangerous criminals from our communities.”

Martinez Cermeno was released from ICE custody in January 2025 after a federal judge determined that federal prosecutors failed to meet their burden of proof to keep him incarcerated while awaiting trial.

Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti | DHS

Immediately after the shooting, authorities found multiple weapons in Occhipinti’s vehicle, DHS said. Authorities believe she helped Granadillo Padilla and Martinez Cermeno evade law enforcement after the attack.

The Chicago Police Department arrested Occhipinti on Dec. 5, 2024, on charges of unlawful use of weapons and other weapons offenses. However, she was released without ICE ever being notified under Chicago’s sanctuary policies, which protect illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office decided not to prosecute the suspects, DHS said, and Granadillo Padilla and Martinez Cermeno were eventually deported.

“Giovanna Mercedes Moreno Occhipinti’s actions were calculated and deliberate, leading to the loss of three lives,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino. “I’m proud of our agents for pursuing this case to the end, ensuring that everyone who helped facilitate this mass homicide is brought to justice.”

Fox News was told by DHS that Occhipinti was a teacher at an unspecified school in the Chicago suburb of Elgin. Illinois officials have refused to cooperate with federal authorities and will not tell DHS the name of the school, Fox News has learned.

Occhipinti is being held at the Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield, Kentucky.

Read more at FoxNews.com

Mass ShootingsImmigrationNewsElginChicago Police Department

Source link

Illinois

5 tornadoes confirmed in central Illinois following weekend storms

Published

20 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

5 tornadoes confirmed in central Illinois following weekend storms

(WAND) – The National Weather Service confirmed five tornadoes touched down in central Illinois during Sunday’s storms.

The tornado count for the WAND viewing area, which does not include all of central Illinois, is now at 61 as of June 22.

For reference, the area averages 20 tornadoes annually.

The NWS confirmed an EF-1 east of Neoga in Cumberland County, along with EF-0 tornadoes southwest of Stewardson in Shelby County and northeast of Toledo, also in Cumberland County.

Additionally, the NWS office in St. Louis confirmed two EF-0 tornadoes south of Shobonier in far southern Fayette County.

Shobonier is about 10 miles south of Vandalia.

Final details have yet to be released.

This is a developing story.

Source link

Illinois

Jimmy Awards: Park Ridge, Tinley Park students to make Broadway debut

Published

1 day ago

June 22, 2026

Press Room

Jimmy Awards: Park Ridge, Tinley Park students to make Broadway debut

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Jimmy Awards honoring “theatre kids” is happening on Monday night in New York City!

Jane Nuich from Park Ridge and Logan Arroyo of Tinley Park will represent Illinois. They’ll be competing against over 100 students from across the nation.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

ABC7’s Hosea Sanders has been following their adventure that leads to a Broadway debut.

When asked if they’ve been intimidated about what’s to come, Arroyo said, “Yes, it’s scary. It’s a scary place, especially putting yourself out there on a stage or alone. I want to be an actor, and I will do whatever I can to do that.”

Nuich added, “It’s a huge opportunity to work with industry professionals and with so many other talented young people. And you get to experience so much in New York in that short week. And it’s, I think, such a cool experience rather than a big competition.”

Sanders also Arroyo and Nuich what growing up in the Chicago area has done for their exposure and their goals.

“I think the immediate access to all of the theater that Chicago has to offer has been so incredible to me. As a young student of theater and young performer in theater, I think it’s been so educational to me, and so inspiring to be able to anywhere in Chicago in a quick moment from the suburbs to just see so much theater,” Nuich said. “I think it’s so comforting to know you’re surrounded by so many artists who are just as passionate as you. And I think that going into a career in this, it’s so incredible to be exposed to so many young performers who are so talented and passionate as this age.”

Arroyo added, “I’m so excited to be around people I care about and love this as much as I do.”

When asked what previous Illinois Jimmy winners have told the performs, Nuich said, “It goes by really fast, that a lot will happen, but it’s important to stay grounded and to take it all in and realize what a special experience it is, and you just keep working hard.”

“My big dream is to do what I love and love myself for doing it,” Arroyo said.

Source link