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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Badgers

By Rees Woodcock

MADISON, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 18: Giorgi Bezhanishvili #15 of the Illinois Fighting Illini attempts a shot while being guarded by Ethan Happ #22 of the Wisconsin Badgers in the second half at the Kohl Center on February 18, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 18: Giorgi Bezhanishvili #15 of the Illinois Fighting Illini attempts a shot while being guarded by Ethan Happ #22 of the Wisconsin Badgers in the second half at the Kohl Center on February 18, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 09: Players stand in front of a Big Ten logo before the start of the college basketball game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 9, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.(Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. The season is not doom and gloom after this loss

Yes, the Illinois basketball team took another loss on Monday. They are now 10-16 on the season and 6-9 in the Big Ten. But, a loss was bound to happen.

It was fun seeing Illinois rattle off four-straight wins and five out of their last six. This was the Illinois team I was expecting to see the entire year. This stretch of success is what we have to look forward to next season as well. Winning multiple games in a row and losing one on the road to a ranked Wisconsin team is how college basketball works.

Illinois fans are so used to losing a lot that winning four in a row and then losing a game isn’t the norm. We are used to it being the opposite where we would lose four games and then win one. The last seven games are what we are going to be seeing in the future. This is going to become the norm once again. We are going to start winning five times in seven tries.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Illini win four out of the final five games. This is what will start happening moving forward. The stretch of games that were victories sandwiched by a few losses is going to happen. This is the normal course and I can’t wait until we are used to the fact that we can put wins on the board.

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