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Illinois Basketball: Top 5 Illini wins in the Brad Underwood era

By Rees Woodcock

ANN ARBOR, MI - JANUARY 25: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood smiles as he talks to his team in a huddle during a timeout during a regular season Big Ten Conference game between the Illinois Fighting Illini (21) and the Michigan Wolverines on January 25, 2020, at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Illinois defeated Michigan 64-62. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - JANUARY 25: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood smiles as he talks to his team in a huddle during a timeout during a regular season Big Ten Conference game between the Illinois Fighting Illini (21) and the Michigan Wolverines on January 25, 2020, at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Illinois defeated Michigan 64-62. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Ayo Dosunmu
CHAMPAIGN, IL – MARCH 08: Head coach Brad Underwood and Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini embrace following the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

2. Illinois vs. #18 Iowa – March 8, 2020

Improving your seeding in the Big Ten Tournament is more important than ever. There are two rounds before the top four seeds even have to play a game. So, to get that double-bye would be huge for any program.

That is what was at-stake the final game of the 2019-20 season. Illinois was entering the game against the No. 18 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes with a conference record of 12-7 and Iowa sat with a record of 11-8. This game determined if the Illini would get a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament or if they would be playing on day two instead.

Iowa had beaten Illinois earlier in the season, so now they had to come to Champaign for the final game. A matchup of two of the best big men in college basketball between Kofi Cockburn and Luka Garza was also fun to watch. These two went at it and the result at halftime was the score being tied at 41-41.

With four out of the five Illinois starters finishing in double-figures scoring, the Illini forged ahead and took down the Hawkeyes, 78-76. As previously mentioned, this game was big because it enabled Illinois to clinch a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. But it also did more for the program.

Illinois would likely have moved up into a top-six seed in the NCAA tournament with the win over Iowa. We finished ranked nationally for the first time since Dee Brown’s final season in 2005-06. Honestly, this game helped cement Illinois as one of the top teams in the nation.

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