CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men's tennis team has earned an at-large berth in the 2025 NCAA Team Tournament, marking the program's 18th appearance in the competition under 20-year head coach Brad Dancer. The Fighting Illini heard their name called during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday and will play in the TCU Regional.
Illinois will face Oklahoma in the first round on Friday at 3 p.m. CT in Fort Worth, Texas. The winner will take on either host No. 2 TCU or Abilene Christian in the second round on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.
Ahead of the Orange and Blue's 28th overall appearance in the national event, the Illini hold a 53-26 record in NCAA Tournament play. Illinois advanced to the second round in 2024, posting a 4-1 win over Toledo in the first round before falling to No. 5 Kentucky, 4-3.
Across the team's 27 NCAA Tournament appearances, the Orange and Blue have advanced to the second round 23 times, to the third round 17 times, to the quarterfinals seven times, to the semifinals three times, and to the final twice. Illinois has one national championship in program history, which came during the program's undefeated 2003 season.
The Illini enter the NCAA Tournament with a 15-11 record, including a 7-6 mark in conference duals during the regular season. Illinois was tabbed the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, progressing to the quarterfinals before coming up short in a 4-3 defeat to host and top-seeded No. 6 Ohio State on Friday.
The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be played across 16 host sites from May 2-5, followed by super regionals featuring the 16 advancing teams from May 9-11. The final rounds, consisting of the final eight teams, will be played from May 16-18 at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.
