3. This Illinois team isn’t far off
Listen, I know this season has been a struggle. We are potentially going to finish with the worst record in the history of the basketball program. But, are we really that bad?
I don’t think this team is that far off from winning a lot more games. Let’s look at the schedule and see which games were close.
Illinois only lost to Georgetown by eight points. They had No. 3 Gonzaga on the ropes and only lost by six points. They fell to Xavier by nine points. The Illini went to Notre Dame and fell by two points. Illinois lost in overtime to Florida Atlantic. They only lost by eight to No. 21 Indiana. And, on Saturday, they fell to Northwestern by two points.
That right there is seven games that Illinois lost by single-digits. Let’s say they add two players like Kofi Cockburn and Antwan January to the mix. Those single-digit losses could turn into wins. That would give Illinois a record of 11-4 right now instead of 4-11. That is a huge difference.
This Illini team is struggling, but they aren’t getting pounded in every game. They are a competitive team that is close to being dangerous. Just wait until we get some help next season.