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Illinois Basketball: 4 big statistics from the Illini win over Nebraska

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 12, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) scores against Nebraska Cornhuskers center Eduardo Andre (35) and guard Thorir Thorbjarnarson (34) in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 12, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) scores against Nebraska Cornhuskers center Eduardo Andre (35) and guard Thorir Thorbjarnarson (34) in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 6, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts after call during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. 2012-13

It wasn’t in pretty fashion but the Illinois basketball team managed to come away with the win over Nebraska on Friday night. A win is a win, and now the Illini move to 14-5 on the season.

With the win over the Cornhuskers, Illinois now has a five-game winning streak in the Big Ten. This is an impressive feat considering we have played two ranked teams in that stretch and have moved up greatly in the national rankings. This type of a winning streak hasn’t happened this late in the season in a long time, though.

You have to go back to the 2012-13 season to find the last time Illinois won five games in a row this late in the season.

That 2012-13 campaign was the last time Illinois played a game in the NCAA tournament. The five-game winning streak started with No. 1 Indiana in one of the biggest upsets in program history. The Illini would then go on to take down No. 18 Minnesota, Purdue, Northwestern and Penn State.

Illinois going on a five-game winning streak back in 2012-13 helped propel the program to the NCAA tournament. This currently five-game winning streak is doing the same. I believe the Illini were already going dancing come March, but winning five in a row has boosted the program into the conversation for a No. 1 seed in the postseason.

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