NASHVILLE, TN — No team in theWomen's NCAA Tournamentis younger thanNo. 7 seed Illinois. Twelve of the 15 players on their roster are underclassmen. And the average age of the team is under 20.
TheFighting Illini roster, with only two players –Gretchen DolanandGisela Segura– over the age of 21, faced concerns about inexperience at the start of the season. For a program still working to establish itself, that youth only added more uncertainty. Now, the Illini are fully embracing that identity as a key part of their success. It may even be their biggest strength.
"We're the youngest team in the NCAA tournament … at first I was like, we're not going to talk about youth," coach Shauna Green said. "Then I'm like, we are what we are … let's use it as more fuel."
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After coming off back-to-back losing seasons just a few years ago, the program has seen a quick turnaround under head coach Shauna Green. Illinois posted a 22-10 record in her first full season and won the 2024 WBIT championship. Now, they're in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, preparing to challengeNo. 2 seed Vanderbilton the Commodores' home court.
Pulling off the upset in a tough atmosphere will require the young team to show composure. Fortunately for them, tight games earlier in the season have translated into experience.
"We've had a lot of close games this season," freshman guardCearah Parchmentsaid. "That experience helped us now … we didn't make the mistakes we were making a month ago."
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With few traditional seasoned vets on this team, leadership has looked a little different this season.
JuniorJasmine Brown-Hagger, one of the few upperclassmen on the roster and someone players in the locker room refer to as a team captain, shares the same outlook that has defined this team all season: Age is just a number.
"I feel like a lot of people underestimate us just because of [our youth]. But we know what we're capable of," Brown-Hagger said. "At the end of the day, it's basketball. And there's no age to basketball."
What once looked like inexperience for a rebuilding program has turned into confidence. For Illinois, that growth is already paying off. The Illini have successfully solidified their place in the NCAA Tournament as a young, talented group that isn't just building for the future, but beginning to arrive now.
Another opportunity for this young team to prove it belongs arrives Monday, March 23. It's a chance to take another step in the program's rise while pursuing their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1998 … four years before their oldest player was born.
Katielee Smith is a student in the University of Georgia's Carmical Sports Media Institute.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Illinois women's basketball proving it belongs in NCAA Tournament