Lineups Illinois (21-12)Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Kasparas Jakucionis Fr. 6-6 15.0 Vilnius, Lithuania
G Kylan Boswell Jr. 6-2 11.9 Champaign
G Tre White Jr. 6-7 10.7 Dallas
F Will Riley Fr. 6-8 12.5 Kitchener, Ontario
C Tomislav Ivisic So. 7-1 12.5 Vodice, Croatia
➜ FYI: Boswell's last first-round game -- an 85-65 Arizona win against Long Beach State last March -- was the best NCAA tournament performance of his career. The Champaign native finished with 20 points, eight assists and two steals as the Wildcats knocked off the 49ers.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
F Ben Humrichous Gr. 6-9 8.0 Tipton, Ind.
G Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn So. 6-1 6.3 Lafayette, Ind.
F Morez Johnson Jr. Fr. 6-9 7.1 Riverdale
Xavier (22-11)Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Dayvion McKnight Gr. 6-0 9.6 Shelbyville, Ky.
G Ryan Conwell Jr. 6-4 16.8 Indianapolis
G Marcus Foster Gr. 6-5 7.6 Atlanta
G/F Dailyn Swain So. 6-8 10.5 Columbus, Ohio
F Zach Freemantle Gr. 6-9 17.3 Teaneck, N.J.
➜ FYI: The Musketeers have one of the most experienced rotations in the country with six players in at least their fifth season of college basketball. Freemantle and Jerome Hunter are in their sixth seasons, with both missing the 2023-24 season. A left foot injury cost Freemantle the final 15 games of the 2022-23 season and all of the next, while Hunter dealt with a cardiac issue and then a torn Achilles tendon last season.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Dante Maddox Jr. Gr. 6-2 7.2 Chicago Heights
F Jerome Hunter Gr. 6-8 5.7 Columbus, Ohio
F John Hugley IV Gr. 6-11 3.0 Cleveland
Details
➜ Site: Fiserv Forum (17,385); Milwaukee.
➜ Radio: Brian Barnhart (play-by-play) and former Illini Deon Thomas (analysis) will have the call on the Illini Sports Network on WDWS 1400-AM, WDWS 93.9-FM, WHMS 97.5-FM, WPXN 104.9-FM, WDAN-1490-AM, WDNL 102.1-FM, WSOY 1340-AM and WSOY 103.3-FM.
➜ TV: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Dan Bonner (analysis), Stan Van Gundy (analysis) and Lauren Shehadi (sideline reports) will have the call on CBS.
➜ Series: Tied 2-2.
➜ Last meeting: Illinois lost 83-74 on Nov. 21, 2018, in Lahaina, Hawaii.
➜ FYI: The 2018 Maui Invitational marked the first game between Illinois and Xavier in a dozen years. A two-point game at halftime at the Lahaina Civic Center turned into a nine-point Xavier victory with four Musketeers in double figures led by Quentin Goodin with 15 points. Ayo Dosunmu paced the Illini with 19 points, three assists and three rebounds in the loss.
Beat writer Scott Richey's storylines Quick turnaround for quick team
Illinois had to wait until Wednesday night to find out its first-round opponent, with Xavier rallying to beat Texas 86-80 in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, to make it to Milwaukee. The Musketeers' second-half comeback was fueled by their ability to get in transition. Xavier turned 10 Texas turnovers into 16 points and also had a 17-7 advantage on fast break points. That the Musketeers thrive in transition made it to the top of the Illini's scouting report.
"It's one of the things that they do exceptionally well," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said Thursday afternoon. "I think we've seen a couple teams in our conference -- Wisconsin, Iowa -- that are both very, very similar in terms of, especially after a make, putting a ton of pressure on your defense. They shoot the first open three, so it's very, very important that (good transition defense) happens and we're very conscious of their guys running and their guys pushing."
X marks the spot: locking in on the scout
While Illinois wasn't able to fully start its scouting report and game prep for Xavier until the Musketeers' late-night Wednesday win, practice time early in the week still allowed the Illini to turn their focus inward. Get their game right before worrying about their first-round matchup. Get past a disappointing finish in the Big Ten tournament, too, following a blowout 88-65 loss to Maryland.
"It's good sometimes to go back to the lab and just reset for all of us," Illinois guard Kylan Boswell said. "Going into (Friday's game), scout, the details and your effort matter. Especially playing against Xavier, who is an older team. We're really young. Having mistakes or missed shots can't affect your energy. They'll capitalize on that."
It's all new for international Illini
This isn't just the first NCAA tournament game for Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic. The Illinois duo didn't get all that familiar with the season-ending event until the past couple seasons. It wasn't quite as big of a deal in Lithuania and Croatia. Jakucionis said he didn't watch any college basketball until a couple years ago, and the ones he did watch were tournament games. Ivisic's experience was similar, although he was locked in last season with his twin brother, Zvonimir, playing for Kentucky.
"When I was younger, it was hard to find channels," Ivisic said. "It's a different time -- always in the middle of the night -- so it's hard to watch games. Last year's March Madness was the only thing I watched. Especially last year, my brother was here, and I was watching the games and noticed the different intensity."
The News-Gazette's pick Illinois 83, Xavier 80
The roster makeup between Illinois and Xavier couldn't be much more different. The Illini are young, but have a pair of potential first-round picks in Jakucionis and Will Riley. The Musketeers have veterans throughout. Plus an NCAA tournament game under their belt already. Top-tier talent might be the difference maker for Illinois to move on. (News-Gazette prediction record: 22-11)