The Illinois men's golf team finds itself tied for second place after the first day of NCAA regional action in Noblesville, Ind.
Mike Small's team carded a round of 3-under par 285 on the par 72 course at Sagamore Golf Club.
The top five teams in the regional, which goes through Saturday, will advance to the NCAA Championships May 29 through June 3 in Bradenton, Fla.
Illinois is tied with SMU after the first round, with Colorado atop the team leaderboard. The Buffaloes opened with a round of 10-under par.
But the Illini are eight shots ahead of fourth-place UCLA, with the Bruins at 5-over, and 10 shots clear of fifth-place UNLV (7-over).