No. 3 Illinois defeated No. 11 VCU 76-55 in a second-round South Region matchup, with Andrej Stojakovic scoring 16 of his 21 points in the first half. Tomislav Ivisic added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois, which advanced to its second Sweet 16 in 21 years. The Fighting Illini will face No. 2 Houston in the next round. Terrence Hill Jr. led by 17 points and seven rebounds for VCU, while Barry Evans and Tyrell Ward had 11 points. Despite a brief comeback from Hill, Illinois maintained a seven-point halftime lead. The team's first two NCAA tournaments were won by a combined 56 points.