Illinois Basketball: Five Most Important Games Left For The Illini

Dec 30, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Malcolm Hill (21) shoots on Michigan Wolverines forward Ricky Doyle (32) at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

February 12th vs. Michigan (13-10, 6-5 B1G)

There’s no question that Illinois’ first meeting with the Michigan Wolverines left a bad taste in the months of both players and fans alike.

The Wolverines defeated the Illini in overtime on a day where the school celebrated their then-recent hiring of football coach Jim Harbaugh.

Illinois led through the entire first meeting in Ann Arbor, but gave the game over to Michigan in the end.

Don’t expect that to happen twice in a row as the State Farm Center will be rockin’ to a sold out arena.

Both the Illini and the Wolverines come into this game on opposite ends of the spectrum.

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Illinois is currently riding a three-game win streak while Michigan is sliding on the three-game losing streak.

Illinois wants to exact revenge for the loss they suffered in Ann Arbor to begin the conference season.

The Illini have gone through several changes since losing to Michigan on December 30^th.

Rayvonte Rice and Aaron Cosby will most likely not be suiting up as both players were suspended for violating team rules.

The Wolverines will also see a lot more of freshman Leron Black who played only 12 minutes in the teams’ first meeting this season.

If Illinois can catch fire early, the sold out Illini crowd should be able to fuel them to victory over the Maize and Blue on Thursday!

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