On Saturday night, the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Creighton Bluejays battled at the Moody Center for a spot in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Illinois walked away with the victory but the Fighting Illini weren't sure who they would face next as the Texas Longhorns and the William & Mary Tribe played just half an hour later to determine who would move on.
After the hard-fought, First Round game, Illinois head coach Shauna Green and three of her players spoke to the media about their win and the upcoming matchup. Green, who has been with the Fighting Illini for just three seasons, isn't scared of their next opponent, even if it's the No. 1-seed Longhorns.
“We’re going to obviously be the underdog and that’s okay, we’ve been the underdog really all year… It’s hard, in the women’s game, to make a Sweet Sixteen because you’re going to have to pull off a win on someone’s home court," Green said. "It’s really, really hard but the good thing about that is there’s no pressure on us, there's no pressure on us at all."
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Illinois held a 21-9 overall record, which improved to 22 wins when the team defeated Creighton. Meanwhile, Texas entered the Big Dance with a resounding 31-3 overall record and the SEC regular season title.
"Everyone thinks Texas is going to beat our butts," Green said. "Vic [Schaefer] does an amazing job… We’re used to that in the Big Ten… I’ll worry about Texas, or whoever… We’ll dive into them tonight and into tomorrow, and I want our players to just enjoy this win tonight.”
Senior forward Kendall Bostic, who recorded a double-double against Creighton with 12 points and 17 rebounds isn't even scared of the Longhorns' paint players Taylor Jones and Kyla Oldacre.
“We’ll root for whoever wins, we’re gonna be prepared for any team we come across," Bostic said. "I feel like the whole Big Ten season is full of loaded front courts, so I feel like – to Brynn [Shoup-Hill] and I – it's just kind of another game."
Illinois will face the winner of Texas versus William & Mary in the Round of 32 on Monday, March 24. The time of the game has yet to be announced.