The Illinois basketball team suited up for the first time this season in an exhibition game on Friday night.
Just seeing the Orange and Blue take the court gave me hope for my sports fandom. Their presence instantly brought a smile to my face because I know we can at least be mediocre at basketball this season, and that would be better than what we are seeing on the football field, so far.
But I believe this Illinois basketball team can do better than mediocre this season. I think they have the talent to shock some people and, potentially, make the NCAA tournament for the first time in a half-decade.
Illinois ended up beating Illinois Wesleyan 83-67 on Friday night. For most of the game, Illinois had the lead by 20 points but there were times that Illinois Wesleyan would cut the lead to less than 15 points. These were the times Illinois would put in the players who aren’t likely to see minutes this season.
The Illini ended up pulling away, though. This was a tune-up game for the upcoming season. Illinois fans had a chance to see all the players on the roster. Watching the newcomers was extremely fun. There is so much potential with this program.
Here are four observations from the Illini exhibition game.