Canada's Will Riley leads Illinois to win over Xavier at March Madness

Canada's Will Riley had Illinois and Kentucky on his list of finalists when it came time to make a college decision last summer.

The native of Kitchener, Ont. chose the Fighting Illini, and now he'll get to face the school he took a pass on at March Madness.

The Canadian freshman caught fire in the second half as sixth-seeded Illinois beat No. 11 Xavier 86-73 on Friday in Milwaukee.

It sets up a battle against No. 3 Kentucky in the Midwest Region on Sunday.

Riley made eight shots in a row after missing his first three and finished with a game-high 22 points against Xavier.

"Honestly, I feel like it's definitely a big confidence thing coming into it," said the six-foot-eight Riley, who picked things up toward the end of the regular season after a lengthy stretch where he struggled.

"My mindset wasn't right throughout that little gap. I was just playing with my head down. Now, I know my role, I know what coach wants of me. I just established that. I played the way that these guys want me to play."

The CBS broadcast showed a shot of his mother, Tracy, in a Team Canada jersey cheering as her son was interviewed after the buzzer.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood also praised Riley for his defensive improvements.

"I mean, that's where his growth has been from the first day that he got here. I'm not sure he could guard you in all honesty (earlier in the season)," Underwood told a reporter after the game. "Now he's a guy that's using his length, he's playing without fear. Had a couple of great blocks. He's anticipating better. He's understanding scouting reports better. All of that stuff is just growth.

"He's a guy we ask a lot of on that end. He can do a lot of different things because of that length and his athleticism."

Meanwhile, Kasparas Jakucionis finished one rebound shy of a triple-double and Illinois was perfect from the foul line in the win.

Jakucionis had 16 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Tomislav Ivisic added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Kylan Boswell scored 15 points.

Illinois led throughout the last 33 1/2 minutes and went 18 of 18 from the free throw line and 12 of 30 from 3-point range. The Illini also outrebounded Xavier 45-25.

“If that wasn't their best, then they're real, real good,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said.

Ivisic, a 7-foot-1 centre from Croatia, went 4 of 9 from 3-point range. His four 3-pointers were the most by a 7-footer in an NCAA Tournament game.

Dailyn Swain had a career-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds for Xavier (22-12). Ryan Conwell and Dayvion McKnight added 12 points apiece.

Xavier trailed 40-37 in the opening minute of the second half when Riley blocked Conwell’s driving layup attempt. Tre White sank a 3-pointer on lllinois’ ensuing possession to start an 8-0 run. Jakucionis capped the spurt by converting a three-point play with 18:16 left to give the Illini the first double-digit lead.

Two nights after rallying from 13 points down to beat Texas in the First Four, Xavier couldn’t come all the way back from a double-digit deficit this time.

Xavier did get the margin down to six on a couple of occasions with about 15 minutes left, but Illinois surged again and eventually led by as many as 17. Xavier got the lead down to 76-68 with 4:04 left, but Riley answered with a 3-pointer.

Takeaways

Xavier: Zach Freemantle, Xavier's leading scorer, struggled against Illinois' size. Freemantle entered the night averaging 17.2 points and 7 rebounds. The sixth-year senior shot 2 of 9 and had five points and three rebounds.

Illinois: If Jakucionis had pulled down one rebound, Illinois would have produced a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. Marcus Domask had the 10th triple-double in NCAA Tournament history last season with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a first-round victory over Morehead State.

Up next

Illinois will seek to advance beyond the first weekend of March Madness for a second straight year. The Illini reached a regional final last season before losing 77-52 to eventual national champion UConn.

-- with files from AP.