University of Illinois Fighting Illini to Play Against University of Kentucky Wildcats in 2nd Round of NCAA Tournament

MILWAUKEE (WLS) — University of Illinois fans are ready to watch the Illini take on Kentucky Sunday after they defeated Xavier.

Illinois defeated Xavier University with a score of 86-73 Friday night.

The Illini are playing against 3rd-seeded Kentucky at 4:15 p.m. CT Sunday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

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It feels like basketball fans have been waiting forever, but it’s finally here. March Madness is underway, and there’s no other tournament like it.

Illinois is making a sixth straight tournament appearance this year.

After losing to Maryland in the Big 10 quarterfinals, the Illini enjoyed a full week off before facing Xavier. Despite being a young team navigating unfamiliar territory, coach Brad Underwood expressed that he saw the benefit in having the additional rest.

Pre-game stats

The Fighting Illini’s record in Big Ten action is 13-9. Illinois is ninth in college basketball scoring 83.9 points per game while shooting 45.1%.

Kentucky has achieved a record of 11-9 in SEC play and a record of 12-2 in non-conference matchups. The team ranks third in the SEC, scoring an average of 85.0 points per game while maintaining a field goal percentage of 48.2%.

This season, Illinois has been making an average of 9.4 3-pointers per game, which is 0.9 more shots per game than what Kentucky allows. On the other hand, Kentucky has been averaging 9.6 made 3-pointers per game, which is 2.9 more shots made compared to Illinois’ allowance of 6.7 per game.

Ben Humrichous is shooting 34.3% from beyond the arc with 1.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Fighting Illini, while averaging 7.8 points. Will Riley is shooting 48.3% and averaging 14.9 points over the past 10 games.

Amari Williams is averaging 10.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists for the Wildcats. Koby Brea is averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Fighting Illini: 6-4 in their last 10 games, averaging 80.8 points, 34.3 rebounds, 15.1 assists, 3.8 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.1 points.

Wildcats: 6-4 in their last 10 games, averaging 82.1 points, 32.6 rebounds, 15.4 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 80.2 points per game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.