John Fanta After Illinois' Win Over Xavier: 'The Illini Can Absolutely Make a Run'

Fanta, FOX's college basketball expert, believes Illinois' offense can carry it to unforeseen heights

Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA: Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) drives to the hoop past Xavier Musketeers forward Jerome Hunter (2) during the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Just a few days ago, FOX’s John Fanta had 11th-seeded Xavier (22-12) pegged to take down sixth-seeded Illinois (22-12) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. (Yes, we keep receipts.)

Although he got Xavier knocking off Texas in the First Four correct, his prediction of the Musketeers advancing to the Round of 32, let alone the Sweet 16, proved to be too ambitious.

In Fanta’s defense, choosing an 11-over-6 upset in an NCAA Tournament bracket is hardly a hot take, and the winners of First Four contests have gone on to make deep tournament runs more than once in recent years.

But on Friday, Illinois halted any chance of it being Xavier, as the Illini put on a show in the second half en route to an 86-73 first-round victory.

Illinois had an exceptional offensive showing, getting 22 points from Will Riley, 20 points from Tomislav Ivisic and, of course, the crown jewel: a near triple-double from Kasparas Jakucionis, who went for 16 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

Defensively, Illinois held Xavier to 40.3 percent from the field and allowed the Musketeers to rack up just nine assists, forcing them to rely largely on off-the-dribble one-on-one moves to score.

And then there was the glass. The Illini controlled that, too, outrebounding the Musketeers 45-25.

All of it added up to Fanta quickly changing his tune, saying, “the Illini can absolutely make a run in this tournament and compete with most teams in the country."

If Illinois is clicking like this offensively, the Illini can absolutely make a run in this tournament and compete with most teams in the country. The matchup with Kentucky on Sunday is going to be awesome. What a night for Kasparas Jakucionis: 16 points, 10 assists 9 rebounds.

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 22, 2025

Up next, Illinois will seek to continue that run, but it must first get through third-seeded Kentucky in the second round Sunday.

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Illinois Overcomes Shaky Start to Bounce Xavier From NCAA Tournament

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