The 2018 NCAA Tournament will once again get a Chicago-area team in the mix after Loyola's great run through the Missouri Valley Conference.
But while the Ramblers have plenty of former Illinois high school basketball players on their roster, there are also a number of other local players to root for over the next several weeks.
With All-American candidates and players on rosters all over the country, here are the 36 players from Illinois high schools on 2018 NCAA Tournament rosters.
Key Players from Key Teams
Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State (Normal U-High) -- Emerging as an All-American candidate, the junior forward put up 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game this season.
Jalen Brunson, Villanova (Stevenson) -- A major contender for National Player of the Year, the junior averaged 19.4 points, 4.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game for the No. 1-seeded Wildcats.
Jordan Caroline, Nevada (Champaign Central) -- Caroline spent his first two years of high school in Illinois before heading to Montverde. A force for the Wolfpack the past few seasons, Caroline had monster numbers this season (17.9 points, 8.8 rebounds) as he has NBA potential.
Jevon Carter, West Virginia (Proviso East) -- The senior guard was one of the nation's best perimeter defenders this season while also putting up 17.0 points, 6.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Mountaineers.
Charles Matthews, Michigan (St. Rita) -- In his first season playing with the Wolverines, the sophomore averaged 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Matthews also helped the Wolverines become a strong defensive team this season.
Zach Norvell Jr., Gonzaga (Simeon) -- After redshirting last season, the freshman is one the key players for a balanced Gonzaga team. Norvell is averaging 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for the Bulldogs.
Admiral Schofield, Tennessee (Zion-Benton) -- The junior has been a breakout player for the co-SEC champions as Schofield averaged 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game this season.
Role Players from Big Programs
Nojel Eastern, Purdue (Evanston) -- The freshman guard has been getting consistent minutes off the bench all season at Purdue as Eastern played 12.8 minutes per contest. Eastern had 11 points in the Big Ten title loss to Michigan.
Gabe Grant, Houston (Mount Carmel) -- Coming off the bench for the Cougars, the junior played in 23 games this season. Grant averaged 5.5 minutes per contest.
Tommy Hamilton IV, Texas Tech (Whitney Young) -- A transfer from DePaul, Hamilton sat out last season before becoming a rotation big man for the Red Raiders. Playing 15 minutes per game, Hamilton is putting up 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Sean O'Mara, Xavier (Benet) -- The senior has been a steady presence during his time at Xavier as he's shooting 60 percent from the field in 15 minutes per game this season. O'Mara is averaging 7.1 points and 3.3 rebounds a game.
Gavin Schilling, Michigan State (De La Salle) -- Returning from injury that cost him last season, the senior big man is a key reserve for the Spartans. In around 10 minutes per game, Schilling put up 3.0 points and 3.5 rebounds a contest.
Kendall Stephens, Nevada (St. Charles East) -- After sitting out last season, Stephens is shooting 44 percent from three-point range while averaging 13.2 points per game.
Jeremiah Tilmon, Missouri (East St. Louis) -- One of the better freshmen big men in the country, Tilmon was productive in nearly 20 minutes per game. Tilmon averaged 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Small-School Players to Watch
Cole Gentry, Wright State (St. Charles East) -- Sitting out last season after transferring, Gentry made an impact by averaging 9.2 points and 2.7 assists per game.
Roland Griffin, Iona (West Aurora) -- The junior had a monster 29-point performance to help Iona reach the NCAA tournament as he put up 10.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season.
Donte Ingram, Loyola (Simeon) -- The senior was one of the key players for the Ramblers as the team's second-leading scorer. Ingram shot just under 40 percent from three-point range while putting up 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Tevin King, South Dakota State (Providence-St. Mel) -- Putting up solid all-around numbers, the junior guard averaged 9.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game this season.
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola (Jacobs) -- Great debut season for Krutwig as the big man was the MVC Freshman of the Year. Krutwig averaged 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Ramblers.
Loudon Love, Wright State (Geneva) -- The freshman put up tremendous numbers in his first season as the 6-foot-9 big man averaged 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
Christian Negron, Loyola (Larkin) -- Negron played in 15 games as a freshman this season for the Ramblers after missing his senior season of high school with a knee injury.
Max Rothschild, Penn (U-High) -- The junior big man is a key frontcourt player for Penn as Rothschild averaged 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season.
Jimmy Sotos, Bucknell (Conant) -- Playing in all 34 games, the freshman point guard was a solid rotation player for the Bison. Sotos averaged 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game this season.
Jachai Taylor, Murray State (Waukegan) -- Appearing in 15 games, Taylor averaged 5.7 minutes per game for the Racers.
Lamont Walker, Texas Southern (Morgan Park) -- A senior wing, Walker provides valuable minutes off the bench for the Tigers. He put up 5.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season.
Lucas Williamson, Loyola (Whitney Young) -- After helping the Dolphins to a state title last year, Williamson was a rotation player for the Ramblers as a freshman. Williamson averaged 4.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Also of Note
Denis Alibegovic, Georgia State (Downers South) -- The freshman appeared in 18 games for Georgia State this season.
Jake Baughman, Loyola (Bloomington Central Catholic) -- The sophomore walk-on played in eight games and made his only field goal attempt this season.
Nick Dinardi, Loyola (Providence) -- The senior walk-on played in seven games this season for the Ramblers.
Dan Dwyer, Penn (Fenwick) -- The senior big man appeared in eight games for Penn this season.
Jonathan Holmes, Arkansas (Columbia) -- The sophomore walk-on guard saw action in 11 games for the Razorbacks this season.
Joey Lane, Ohio State, (Deerfield) -- Lane, a junior guard, appeared in 10 games and scored 11 total points this season as a walk-on for the Buckeyes.
DiVonte Lumpkin, Texas Southern (Harlan) -- Lumpkin appeared in nine games this season as a sophomore walk-on for the Tigers.
Charlie Moore, Kansas (Morgan Park) -- The former Mr. Basketball winner is redshirting this season after transferring to Kansas from Cal. Moore should be a key player the Jayhawks next season.
Tom Planek, Providence (Fenwick) -- The senior walk-on appeared in 12 games this season.
Brett Rau, Missouri (Burlington Central) -- A senior walk-on, Rau played in 10 games this season.
Teams with no Illinois players: Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Buffalo, Butler, Cal State Fullerton, Charleston, Cincinnati, Clemson, Creighton, Davidson, Florida, Florida State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Lipscomb, LIU Brooklyn, Marshall, Miami, Montana, New Mexico State, North Carolina, North Carolina Central, N.C. State, Radford, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, San Diego State, Seton Hall, Stephen F. Austin, Syracuse, TCU, Texas A&M, UCLA, UMBC, UNC Greensboro, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wichita State