Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner picks the brains of Derek Piper and Kyle Tausk to preview Thursday's Sweet Sixteen game between Illinois and Houston. The guys break down the Illini's first-weekend performance, their biggest concerns about Houston, their biggest reasons for optimism about Illinois and the X-factor for Illinois. The guys end the show by making their game predictions.

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247Sports college basketball writer Kyle Tucker joins Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner to discuss the top storylines of the NCAA Tournament so far, Illinois vs. Houston in the Sweet Sixteen and the Illini's ceiling in this tournament. Then Illini Inquirer's Joey Wagner joins to recap Illinois women's basketball season, which ended with a Round of 32 loss to Vanderbilt, and looks ahead to the future of the program.

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Illini Inquirer basketball analyst Mike LaTulip joins Jeremy Werner to discuss Illinois basketball's advancement into the Sweet Sixteen and preview Thursday's matchup against Houston. LaTulip discusses what stood out about the Illini's dominance against Penn and VCU and then breaks down the keys to the Illini against Houston, which was the national runner-up last season.

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Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner and Kyle Tausk react to Illinois basketball defeating VCU 76-55 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The guys discuss a well-rounded offensive performance, dominant defensive performance and some key individuals. The guys then look ahead to Thursday's matchup with No. 2 seed Houston.

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Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner and Kyle Tausk react to Illinois basketball's dominant 105-70 first-round NCAA Tournament win over Penn. The guys react to David Mirkovic's historic performance, Keaton Wagler's impressive first NCAAT game, a red-hot shooting display in the second half, Kylan Boswell's strong defense and more. Then the guys look ahead to Saturday's Round of 32 game against No. 11 seed VCU.

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CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter joins Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner to play a Buy or Sell with Illinois men's basketball entering the NCAA Tournament, breaking down their draw in the Greenville pod and South region. Illini women's basketball great and radio color analyst Kendall Bostic then joins Illini Inquirer's Joey Wagner to discuss the Illini women's draw in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed in Nashville, the great play of the underclassmen and Shauna Green's great success.

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Jon Rothstein breaks down his bracket.

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March Madness is HERE! Join Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander as they pick the winner for EVERY game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. They will take you from Dayton all the way to Indianapolis. Who do the guys have winning it all? Tune in to find out!

(0:00) Intro + Norlander is doin’ more stuff with brackets

(1:00) This is the bracket preview … it’s different from yesterday

(7:00) East Region Picks & Predictions

(24:00) South Region Picks & Predictions

(37:45) West Region Picks & Predictions

(53:00) Midwest Region Picks & Predictions

(1:05:30) Who is the 12 seed or worse most likely to make a run?

(1:10:00) Final Four Picks!

• Theme song: “Timothy Leary,” written, performed and courtesy of Guster
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Illini Inquirer basketball analyst Mike LaTulip joins Jeremy Werner to break down No. 3 seed Illinois basketball's draw in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. LaTulip breaks down what he thinks of a first-round matchup with No. 14 seed Penn a potential second-round matchup against No. 6 North Carolina or No. 11 seed VCU and what Illinois must do to have a successful first weekend. He then zooms out at the long-term path in the South Region and discusses the rest of the March Madness bracket before giving his Final Four prediction.

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Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner and Kyle Tausk react to Illinois earning a No. 3 seed in the South Region of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The guys discuss the first-round matchup against No. 14 seed Penn and Fran McCaffery in Greenville (S.C.) and a possible second-round matchup against No. 6 seed North Carolina and a potential Sweet Sixteen matchup against Houston. The guys also discuss what must happen for the team to get through to the second weekend. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

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Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner and Kyle Tausk react to Illinois basketball's 91-88 loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal. The guys discuss how the loss mirrored the loss to the Badgers in Champaign, why Illinois is struggling to close out games and the confidence level in this team entering the NCAA Tournament.

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