Illinois Basketball: Win over Michigan State was special for more than one reason

Well folks, it happened, Illinois basketball just won their fourth straight game and the hope is alive and well in Illini Nation.

Illinois was dead in the water at 14-12 just three weeks ago. They were coming off their second loss to Penn State. Yes, I said second loss; they swept the Illini this season. Things weren’t looking good for this team, to say the least.

The Illini weren’t anywhere near the bubble. I would actually say they were trending more toward the NIT bubble than the NCAA bubble. But, this team didn’t give up and with the guidance of John Groce, they are now 18-12 on the season with a record of 8-9 in Big Ten play.

You might have to reread this, but yes, I said the guidance of John Groce. I have been a hard critic of his for the last few years and even as recent as a few weeks ago I was calling for his job. He hadn’t proved me wrong with his coaching and honestly, he still hasn’t yet.

I do have to give credit where credit is due, though. Groce has this Illini team in the conversation for the Big Dance when many people, including myself, thought that wasn’t going to happen.

Illinois fought tough last night too. They would take a lead, sometimes double-digits, but then lose it quicker than Tum Tum Nairn can get from baseline to baseline. The roller coaster of emotions last night followed the same trend as the Illini season. There were times I was excited and then there were times I thought the world was ending.

At the end of the night, the final score showed Illinois beating Michigan State 73-70. That is all that matters and much like the rest of the Illini fan base, I am pumped for the fact the Illini are still alive.

The cherry on top of the victory last night was the raw emotion that the Big Ten Network captured. They did interviews with both Groce and Malcolm Hill and both had a hard time formulating words through their tears of happiness and joy.

Those tears were a culmination of four and five years of hard word, stress, fans on their back, missed postseasons, turmoil on and off the court and I’m sure there are more things that I am missing. That was a special moment for Illinois basketball last night.

Now Illinois is looking at one more regular season game against Rutgers. This is a road contest so the Illini have to avoid the letdown game. That is my biggest fear for this team right now moving forward.

Next: 5 biggest games in John Groce’s Illini career

But for now, the Illini need to enjoy this win. The fans need to celebrate the nice run they are putting together. And the hope should be alive and well for this team to potentially go dancing in about a week and a half.