NCAA Tournament Second Round
Score: Illinois 76, VCU 55
Location: Greenville, S.C. (Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Records: VCU 28-8, Illinois 26-8
 
The short story: Sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr. pumped in 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but VCU's magical 2025-26 season came to an end Saturday night at the hands of third-seeded and 13^th-ranked Illinois in Greenville, S.C.
 
OPENING TIP

• Hill, who erupted for a career-high 34 points in Thursday's win over North Carolina, shot 7-of-16 from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers
• Senior forward Barry Evans and junior guard Tyrell Ward added 11 points each for the Rams
• Illinois Andrej Stojakovic led four Illini players in double figures with 21 points

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU struggled to find its shooting touch all night. The Rams shot 35 percent (23-of-66) from the field overall, including 22 percent (7-of-32) from 3-point range
• Illinois also owned a 45-29 rebounding advantage and outscored the Rams 17-11 off turnovers
• The Fighting Illini shot 48 percent (28-of-58) from the field in the game
• VCU took its only lead of the game at 28-26 on a bucket by Hill at the 3:09 mark of the first half that capped a 15-3 run. But Stojakovic scored the final nine points of the half to give Illinois a 35-28 lead at the break. That run bled into the second half, as UI opened the period with 15-4 blitz that stretched its lead to 50-32 with 13:24 remaining

NOTABLE

• VCU was making the 21^st NCAA Tournament appearance in program history
• The Rams won 28 games in 2025-26, which is tied for the second-most in program history