Xavier Musketeers vs Illinois Fighting Illini – NCAA Tournament Preview – March 21, 2025
Xavier and Illinois meet in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region. The game will be played at Fiserv Forum on Friday night. Xavier enters as the No. 11 seed with a 21-11 record, while Illinois holds the No. 6 seed at 21-12.
Illinois is making its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, while Xavier advanced through the First Four with a win over Texas. The Musketeers won the last meeting between these teams in 2018 at the Maui Invitational. The winner moves on to face either No. 3 seed Baylor or No. 14 seed Colgate in the second round.
Xavier Preview – Can They Build on Momentum?
Xavier heads into this matchup after a hard-fought 86-80 win over Texas in the First Four. The Musketeers erased a 10-point deficit in the final 12 minutes to advance. Xavier shot 55.2 percent in that game and hit 12 three-pointers on 25 attempts.
Marcus Foster led the way with 22 points on 8-for-9 shooting, including four three-pointers. Zach Freemantle added 15 points and has been Xavier’s most consistent scorer this season, averaging 17.2 points and 7.0 rebounds. Ryan Conwell is another key contributor, averaging 16.7 points per game.
Xavier has been strong offensively, scoring 78.3 points per game. Their defense has struggled at times, allowing 71.2 points per game. The Musketeers will need to maintain their efficient shooting to keep pace with Illinois.
Illinois Preview – Looking to Regain Form
Illinois is coming off an 88-65 loss to Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament. The Illini struggled with their shooting, hitting just 36.5 percent from the field and making only six three-pointers on 27 attempts. Before that, Illinois had won four straight games to build momentum heading into March Madness.
Kasparas Jakucionis leads Illinois with 15.0 points per game. Tomislav Ivisic adds 12.5 points and leads the team with 7.7 rebounds. Morez Johnson Jr. recently returned from injury and provides key support inside, averaging 7.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.
Illinois is one of the top rebounding teams in the country, averaging 42.5 boards per game. The Illini will look to control the glass and create second-chance scoring opportunities. Limiting turnovers will be crucial after giving the ball away 17 times in their recent loss to Maryland.
Betting Prediction
Illinois enters as a 3.5-point favorite with the total set at 160.5. Xavier has been strong against the spread, covering in 20 of their last 31 games. The Musketeers have also hit the game total over in 11 of their last 14 contests.
Illinois will need to improve their shooting to advance, but their size advantage on the boards could be key. Xavier’s recent shooting form makes them a tough opponent, but Illinois has the better overall roster. Expect a competitive game with Illinois winning and covering the spread.
Pick: Illinois Fighting Illini -3.5 over Xavier Musketeers.
This should be a really good basketball game. College Basketball and the NCAA Tournament are expected to be great, and this is one of those games. Enjoy the game and best of luck with this bet and all your March Madness wagers!
