1. Illinois needed a win no matter how they got it
Starting off 2-7 is never fun. The Illinois basketball team needed a win against UNLV at home on Saturday and they accomplished that mission. It didn’t end pretty but the Illini still came away with the victory.
Before the game against the Runnin’ Rebels, Illinois had dropped three-straight games and seven out of their last eight. Things weren’t looking good. But, with a win against UNLV, the outlook for the program has improved a little.
East Tennessee State is next on the Illinois schedule. They are 8-3 this season but none of their wins have been over good teams. They do have losses to Georgia State and Wofford as well. This should be a win for the Illini.
The following matchup is against Missouri in the Braggin’ Rights game. The Tigers have rambled off three-straight wins, but they still haven’t beat a good team this year either. This is a huge game for both teams, but it is a winnable one for the Illini.
And the final non-conference game is against Florida Atlantic. The Owls have a 7-2 record, but they haven’t beat anyone either. This should be another victory for the Illini.
Overall, Illinois has three non-conference games remaining and should win them all. If they do, that would bring our record to 6-7 overall and 6-5 in the non-conference. It would still be a long trek to the NCAA tournament, but it could still happen. They would need to probably go 13-5 in the Big Ten.