No. 8 seed Illinois (22-10) was always in for a battle in this region of the NCAA tournament. No. 1 Texas (33-3) was everything a struggling Illinois squad feared. It utilized a relentless full-court press, a constantly moving offense and a defense that choked out even the best of the SEC. Now, the Illini are added to the list of teams trampled in the Longhorns’ path.
Illinois kept it close in the opening frame, ending in a four-point deficit. But in the second half, Texas pulled away for good. It played a fluid, fast game and constantly moved on both ends of the floor. The Longhorns controlled the pace and the clock, holding possession in the final 30 seconds of three quarters to prevent any Illinois buzzer-beaters.
From film to floor
Texas’ defense played like a dream. The Longhorns ran a full-court press for all 40 minutes, covering the ball from the inbound. Fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant could barely find another blue jersey in the flurry of white. She often resorted to lofty passes over the defenders, only to be given the rock right back to carry it down the court. These give-and-go’s were the Illini’s only way to relieve pressure before halfcourt.
The real blow for Illinois was Bryant getting stuck in a double-team. She simply couldn’t get free, and it showed on the stat sheet. She finished with only eight points, joining just six other under-10-point outings all season. In a fitting cap to her season, her only two points for three quarters came from free throws. It wasn’t until the closer that she was able to hit two three-pointers.
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Texas loves to stretch teams out, and this was the nail in the coffin for Illinois. The full coverage forced Bryant to make uncharacteristic errors. Often protective of the ball, she repeatedly picked it up just past halfcourt with no teammates around. She usually has the handles to beat out these defenders, and head coach Shauna Green knew it. She was visibly and loudly frustrated on the sidelines each time it happened.
To shut down the other scoring threat, Texas sent senior forward Taylor Jones and junior center Kyla Oldacre out against fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic. They knew never to leave her uncovered since Illinois likes to feed the post. But Bostic could hold her own against their onslaught after playing one of the most dominant bigs in the country, UCLA’s junior center Lauren Betts. Her trusty hook shot earned her a few points inside.
Turnovers: Constant killers
Illinois gave up 20 turnovers, twice as many as Texas. The Longhorns have senior guard Rori Harmon to thank for most of this. Even though Bostic was already covered by her taller teammates, Harmon remained down low, waiting for the dump to the Illinois forward. Before Bostic could get the ball out of her pocket, Harmon was there to knock it away. She then sent it out to a teammate on a fast break to sink a layup.
Texas also knocked the ball away during inbounds. Before Illinois could confidently run the give-and-go to beat the pressure, Bryant had multiple inbounds where she had to lob the ball into the air around the four-second mark and hope for the best. Running the baseline and short inbounds were no use. The Longhorns batted the ball away before an Illini could even get a hand out.
Illini brought their game, Longhorns brought theirs better
Illinois had its fair share of mistakes this game, struggling with ball protection and players staying on their feet, but Green kept her players true to Illinois basketball. Bostic played a clean defensive game, pressuring a flustered Jones. After the big dropped 19 points against No. 16 William and Mary (16-19) on Saturday, Bostic kept her at 12.
With the Longhorns shutting Bryant out, freshman forward Berry Wallace stepped up to lead. As a freshman in her first NCAA tournament appearance, her demeanor didn’t show it. She not only knocked down two of her threes early on but also shot an efficient 5-8. She didn’t hesitate to navigate the lane and pushed back on defenders to pull up for some mid-range jumpers.
Wallace also played a huge role defensively. She guarded some tough targets and while she didn’t always stop their shots, she sure did make it difficult. She disrupted dribbles and passes, and whenever a Longhorn drove to the rim, she got her hands up and forced them into tough shots. Against most other teams, her efforts would have forced more turnovers. But sophomore forward Madison Booker is skilled enough to shoot around her.
Finally, Illinois showed up at the free-throw line and shot 73%. This lower efficiency is likely due to Texas’ reluctance to foul Bryant, who is usually a fixture at the stripe. The Longhorns knew to keep their hands off her if they wanted to prevent a comeback.
What’s next?
Now, Texas moves on to the Sweet 16, where it faces No. 5 Tennessee (24-9) on Saturday. For Illinois, it’s a tearful close to a hard-fought season as it returns to Champaign. This 2024-25 Illinois squad makes history as the first team since 2000 to win an NCAA tournament game, and it is a well-deserved milestone to be remembered for.
The Illini battled through five team injuries and multiple changes to the starting lineup but still managed a winning season and a March Madness bid. Their younger stars like Wallace, sophomore guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger and freshman center Hayven Smith all gained vital March experience that they will need as they become team leaders on Green’s squad for the next few years.
