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Illinois Basketball: 5 teams the Illini need to play in the NCAA tournament

By Rees Woodcock

Michigan guard Eli Brooks (55) makes a layup against Illinois guard Trent Frazier (1) and center Kofi Cockburn (21) during the first half Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.
Michigan guard Eli Brooks (55) makes a layup against Illinois guard Trent Frazier (1) and center Kofi Cockburn (21) during the first half Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. /
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21 Dec 1996: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lon Kruger looks on during a game against the UCLA Bruins at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois won the game, 79-63. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport
21 Dec 1996: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lon Kruger looks on during a game against the UCLA Bruins at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois won the game, 79-63. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport /

3. Oklahoma Sooners

Did I go too old with the North Carolina national title reference in the previous slide? Well, buckle up because we are going back even further with this one.

Oklahoma is on the list of teams I want Illinois to play in the NCAA tournament this season. Yes, the 14-9 Sooners would be a fun matchup. Why, do you ask? Because one of the former Illinois head coaches currently coaches Oklahoma.

Lon Kruger was the first real head coach of the Illini who I remember. I was in my early single-digit age when Lou Henson was around, so I don’t really remember him. But Kruger was the intro to my Illini days, and I remember his coaching tenure very fondly.

Honestly, Kruger is the coach I give credit to for getting Illinois back to national prominence. In three of his four seasons with the Illini, the program was a top-six seed in the NCAA tournament. The one year Illinois didn’t make the postseason was one of the toughest schedules in program history, and the Illini dealt with some injuries.

Even when the Illini failed to get to the postseason that year, Illinois was the worst seed in the Big Ten Tournament and was able to advance all the way to the conference title game. They would end up losing to Michigan State, but it was a mini-Cinderella story that season.

So, Kruger has been coaching Oklahoma for over a decade now. He is toward the end of his coaching career. I would like for Illinois to face him one time in the postseason. I want to take down the coach who really stated my fandom for the Illini. That would be fun to see.

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