Illinois Basketball: 5 takeaways from the Illini loss to Wisconsin

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MADISON, WI – JANUARY 19: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks with Wisconsin Badger head coach Greg Gard after an college basketball game between Illinois Fighting Illini and the Wisconsin Badgers on January 19th, 2018 at the Kohl Center in Madison, WI. Wisconsin defeats Illinois 75-50. (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. I don’t know when the Illini will win again

Illinois fell to Wisconsin last night in a game they weren’t even competitive. I thought they had a legit shot at a comeback after they narrowed the deficit to just 11 points heading into halftime.

But, the Illini came out of the locker room even worse than they entered it. They were stale the entire night and this ended in a 25-point drubbing by the Badgers. The bad thing is, Wisconsin is a team that was 9-10, so this was one of the best chances for Illinois to get a win.

When is the next time the Illini will win a game, though?

Illinois now has to welcome in No. 9 Michigan State on Monday. This could be another 20-plus point drubbing by the Spartans. Michigan State has three bigs who can also shoot three-point shots. This does not bode well for the Illini. I don’t see Illinois winning this game.

The following two games are winnable. Illinois has Indiana and Rutgers both at home. They need to get their first Big Ten win in one of these two games. If they can’t get their first win against one of those two teams, things will be looking bleak. They then play at No. 22 Ohio State, home against Wisconsin and Penn State, at Indiana, home Nebraska, at No. 9 Michigan State, home No. 3 Purdue and at Rutgers.

There aren’t a lot of wins down the stretch for the Illini. They need to get a Big Ten win against either Indiana or Rutgers in the next three games or they could go winless this season in the conference. That would be depressing.

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