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Riley scores 22 as No. 6 seed Illinois defeats Xavier 86-73 in NCAA Tournament

[March 22, 2025] By STEVE MEGARGEE

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Will Riley couldn't connect on any of the first three shots he attempted.

He wouldn't miss again until the final minute of a game that was already decided.

Riley scored 22 points while shooting 8 of 12 from the floor in Illinois' 86-73 NCAA Tournament triumph over Xavier on Friday night. The extent of Riley's shooting prowess became apparent with under two minutes left when he made a shot from the final “s” of the “March Madness” logo just before the shot clock expired.

“I just knew whatever I was putting up was going in, honestly,” Riley said.

Illinois (22-12), the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region, advanced to a round of 32 matchup Sunday with No. 3 seed Kentucky (23-11). The Wildcats beat Troy 76-57 earlier Friday night.

Riley led a balanced attack that delighted a pro-Illinois crowd at Fiserv Forum.

Kasparas Jakucionis finished with 16 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. The Lithuanian guard said he didn't realize how close he was to a triple-double until after the game had ended.

“That's not the thing I'm trying to focus on,” Jakucionis said. “I'm just trying to do everything the team needs to win."

Tomislav Ivisic added 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 4 of 9 from 3-point range. The 7-foot-1 center from Croatia's four 3-pointers were the most by a 7-footer in an NCAA Tournament game.

Kylan Boswell added 15 points for Illinois, which led throughout the last 33 ½ minutes and went 18 of 18 from the free throw line and 12 of 30 from 3-point range. The Illini also outrebounded Xavier 45-25.

“If that wasn't their best, then they're real, real good,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said.

Dailyn Swain had a career-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds for Xavier (22-12). Ryan Conwell and Dayvion McKnight added 12 points apiece.

Xavier trailed 40-37 in the opening minute of the second half when Riley blocked Conwell’s driving layup attempt. Tre White sank a 3-pointer on lllinois’ ensuing possession to start an 8-0 run. Jakucionis capped the spurt by converting a three-point play with 18:16 left to give the Illini the first double-digit lead.

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Illinois guard Kylan Boswell (4) reacts to a 3-point shot made by Illinois forward Will Riley, right, during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 21, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Two nights after rallying from 13 points down to beat Texas in the First Four, Xavier couldn’t come all the way back from a double-digit deficit this time.

Xavier did get the margin down to six on a couple of occasions with about 15 minutes left, but Illinois surged again and eventually led by as many as 17. Xavier got the lead down to 76-68 with 4:04 left, but Riley answered with a 3-pointer.

“That's the amazing nature of this tournament,” Miller said. “You win, there's no better feeling. When you lose, it's terrible.”

Takeaways
Xavier: Zach Freemantle, Xavier's leading scorer, struggled against Illinois' size. Freemantle entered the night averaging 17.2 points and 7 rebounds. The sixth-year senior shot 2 of 9 and had five points and three rebounds.

Illinois: If Jakucionis had pulled down one rebound, Illinois would have produced a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. Marcus Domask had the 10th triple-double in NCAA Tournament history last season with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a first-round victory over Morehead State.

Up next
Illinois will seek to advance beyond the first weekend of March Madness for a second straight year. The Illini reached a regional final last season before losing 77-52 to eventual national champion UConn.

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