[10] Illinois Set to Face [2] No. 6/6 Vanderbilt in NCAA Tournament Second Round – University of Illinois Athletics

Head Coach Shauna Green

Career Record: 241-121 (.666), 12th season

Division I Record: 212-96 (.688), 10th season

At Illinois: 85-46 (.649), Fourth season

Big Ten Record: 39-33 (.542), Fourth season

THE NEXT WIN WOULD…

• Secure the first 23-win season under Shauna Green
• Be 11 postseason (BTT, WBIT, NCAA) wins under Green
• Move the Illini to 2-1 all-time vs. Vanderbilt
• Improve Green’s Illini to 1-0 vs. Vanderbilt
• Move Illinois to 11-10 all-time in NCAA Tournaments
• Improve Green’s Illini to 3-2 in NCAA Tournaments
• Move Green’s career record to 242-121 in 12 seasons
• Move Green’s DI record to 213-96 in 10 seasons
• Move Green’s Illinois record to 86-46
• Give Illinois WBB an all-time record of 732-786
• Move UI to 4-8 vs. ranked teams this season
• Improve Illinois to 4-1 in neutral games this season

OPENING TIP

Illinois faces [2] #6/6 Vanderbilt (28-4) on Monday, March 23, at 6 p.m. CT in Nashville, Tenn. at Memorial Gymnasium. Action will be on ESPN2.

The Fighting Illini are in Nashville for the second time in as many seasons under Green. Illinois participated in the 2024 Music City Classic from Nov. 26-27. The Illini downed Maryland Eastern Shore 75-55 before falling to No. 14/16 Kentucky the following day. Since Illinois women’s basketball competed in Nashville during the 2024-25 campaign, Illinois football (Music City Bowl), men’s basketball (Music City Madness), and volleyball (Broadway Block Party), each picked up wins in Music City. Green’s squad continued those winning ways on Saturday night with an NCAA Tournament First Round win over Colorado.

Mike Koon (PxP) and Kendall Bostic (analyst) will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM/93.9 FM). The pregame show will extend to 45 minutes for the NCAA Tournament. Streaming, audio, and stats links are also available at FightingIllini.com/WBB.

1. Illinois has a ranked win all four seasons under Green
2. Back-to-back seasons with multiple ranked wins for first time since 1999-01.
3. Achieved the third sell out of State Farm Center in program history and first under Shauna Green on Feb. 8, 2026 with all 15,544 seats sold for the game vs. USC.
4. Illinois has been ranked during all 4 seasons under Green
5. The Illini’s 11-game win streak was the longest single-season streak and tied the longest win streak that spanned the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons
6. 10 regular season noncon wins tied program record
7. Illinois won 22+ games for the 3rd time in 4 years. Green’s last two squads are the first in program history to produce back-to-back 21-win seasons.
8. Destiny Jackson broke the UI freshman season assist record on 2/22/26 with her 141st assist of the season.
9. Cearah Parchment’s 12 double-doubles are a new freshman season record
10. Cearah Parchment broke the UI freshman season rebounding record on 3/1/26 with her 252nd board.
11. Cearah Parchment broke the Illinois freshman scoring record vs. Colorado in NCAA First Round.
12. Green’s win over Michigan St. gave her sole possession of 2nd place on UI’s all-time win list (84)
13. Illinois secured back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since making four consecutive trips from 1996-2000
14. The Illini have won an NCAA Tournament game in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1996-2000.
15. Berry Wallace became the eighth player in program history to surpass 600 points in a season.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Vanderbilt owns a 28-4 record on the 2025-26 campaign including a 13-3 mark in SEC play. The Commodores are 17-0 in home games. Vandy downed [15] High Point 102-61 Saturday night in the NCAA Tournament First Round.

The Commodores are led by Shay Ralph, who is in her fifth season in Nashville. Ralph has led Vandy to a 101-63 record in that span while leading the squad to three-straight NCAA Tournaments. 

ALL-TIME SERIES INFO

Illinois and Vanderbilt will square off for the third all-time meeting on Monday and second from Nashville. The series is even at 1-1 with both contests taking place during the 1980s.

YOUNGEST TEAM IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Green’s fourth Illini squad is by far her youngest, with an average age of 19.83 years as of the start of the 2025-26 campaign. This places Illinois as the third-youngest roster in the Power 4 + Big East behind Kansas State (19.78) and Creighton (19.79). Green’s Illini will be the youngest across the 68-team NCAA Tournament field.

Only two players — Gretchen Dolan and Gisela Segura — started the season above the age of 21. Segura is the team’s oldest, with her 23rd birthday in December. 

Meanwhile Cearah Parchment is the youngest player on the team, starting the season at 18 years, four months. She was born on July 4, 2007, just five days after the launch of the iPhone.

ILLINOIS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Illinois enters the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Second Round with a 10-10 all-time record in the event. The Illini are making their third appearance in a four-year span for the first time since earning four consecutive bids during the 1996-97 – 1999-2000 campaigns.

The Fighting Illini have secured back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since making four consecutive trips from 1996-2000. Illinois is going dancing for the 11th time in program history with Sunday’s selection to the 2026 field. 

Illinois secured an NCAA Tournament win in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns – a stretch that extended four seasons back through 1996-97.

Including her time as the head coach at Dayton, Green has now led seven squads to NCAA Tournament appearances. Dating back to her time at Loras College (D3), Green has led her last 11 teams to winning seasons.

WON NOT DONE

[7] Illinois opened its NCAA Tournament run with a 66-57 first-round win over [10] Colorado on Saturday night at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium. Never trailing over the final three quarters, the Fighting Illini have now earned an NCAA Tournament win in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns.

In their NCAA Tournament debuts, the Illini freshmen rose to the occasion once again. Cearah Parchment posted a game-high 21 points while going 8-for-10 from the field, while Destiny Jackson tallied a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Parchment also added five rebounds, a steal, and a block, while Jackson dished out six assists and made one steal.

POWER WINS ON THE ROAD

With the win over the Buffaloes, Illinois has secured wins from teams in all four power conferences away from home this season.

    ACC – Florida State

    Big 12 – Colorado

    B1G – 11 wins (regular season & tournament)

    SEC – Missouri

SUCCESS ACROSS ILLINOIS ATHLETICS

Illinois is one of 10 NCAA schools to qualify for a bowl game and the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in each of the last two years. The 2024-25 and 2025-26 appearances mark the first time in school history that Illinois has achieved the feat. This has been done a total of five times in school history, as the Illini also appeared in the top postseason events in 2022-23, 1999-2000, and 1985-86.

The nine other schools joining Illinois in qualifying for bowl games and the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments the last two years are Alabama, UConn, Duke, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, and Vanderbilt.

ONE OF ONE

Illinois is the only school in the national to win a bowl game and NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament games in each of the last two seasons. Additionally, the 2025-26 feat is the sixth time in Big Ten history a school has won a bowl and NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournament games in back-to-back years.

20-WIN SEASONS

Illinois’ Second Round win in the Big Ten Tournament secured the third 21-win season in four years at Illinois by Shauna Green. With three 20-win seasons, Green is now tied with Theresa Grentz for the most 20-win campaigns by an Illinois head coach. Across her Division I career, Shauna Green has now collected seven 20-win campaigns across nine “traditional” seasons.

Green’s Illini have secured 21+ wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. 

BERRY WALLACE’S SOPHOMORE SURGE

Through 33 games of the 2025-26 campaign, Fighting Illini sophomore Berry Wallace is averaging 18.4 points per game up from 9.0 ppg last season, despite being at the top of every opponents’ scout. The sophomore is up to 16 20-point games on the season.

Along with her 18.4 points, Wallace is averaging 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks across 35.5 minutes per game. The Pickerington, Ohio, native opened the season with four consecutive 20-point outings, including the first double-double of her career in the Orange and Blue’s season opener. Wallace is shooting a scorching 47.7% FG, 35.6% 3FG, and 87.0 FT% through 33 games.

Wallace’s Year 2 growth has been exceptional in numerous areas. Through 33 games, the sophomore owns 608 points on the season, which ranks eighth on Illinois’ single-season scoring list. Wallace’s output is the most since 633 by senior Karisma Penn in 2012-13. More on page 21 of game notes.

GREEN CLIMBS PROGRAM’S ALL-TIME WIN LIST

Fourth-year head coach Shauna Green continued to move up the program’s all-time wins list. Illinois’ latest win saw Green post her 85th win at the helm of the program, giving her sole possession of the second-most victories by an Illinois women’s basketball head coach.

RANKED WINS UNDER SHAUNA GREEN

Illinois’ first ranked win of 2025-26 came over No. 7/6 Maryland, the first top-10 win for Illinois since 2012-13. The victory also marked the highest-ranked Big Ten win in program history. The Illini added another ranked road win at #25/24 Washington on Feb. 1 before tacking on a neutral site win over No. 18/17 Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament.

In 2024-25, when Illinois went on the road and upset No. 14 Maryland in College Park, Green’s unit became the first team since 1999-2000 to win three games vs. AP Top-25 ranked teams. Green led the team to a 4th ranked win in the NCAA Tournament First Round as Illinois downed No. 23 Creighton, securing a ranked win at home, away, and in a neutral setting. Four ranked wins in a single season tied the program record (1999-00).

The latest win marked the ninth such triumph under fourth-year head coach Shauna Green, who guided the Illini to ranked wins six times in Big Ten league play.

Green’s nine wins over ranked teams are the second-most in Illinois program history behind Theresa Grentz’ 26. Overall, Green is 9-23 against top-25 foes.