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Illinois Basketball: 5 key games for the Illini 2022-23 season

By Rees Woodcock

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 18: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on against the Chattanooga Mocs during the first half in the first round game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 18, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 18: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on against the Chattanooga Mocs during the first half in the first round game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 18, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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Jan 29, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard RJ Melendez (15) celebrates Illinois win against the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Illinois vs. Wisconsin – Champaign, Illinois – January 7

I am pegging Illinois for a solid start to the 2022-23 campaign. I think we can do well in the non-conference plus the two random Big Ten games in the middle of the non-conference. I am thinking we can go 12-1 in this stretch.

Illinois would then enter the regular meat of the Big Ten schedule. The first game is against Northwestern. I have us winning that game to move to 3-0 in Big Ten play. The first really tough Big Ten game is going to be against Wisconsin on January 7.

This game against the Badgers is going to mean a lot. Wisconsin was a good team last season. They finished with a 25-8 record overall, and they ended the season ranked No. 14 in the country. Wisconsin also made the NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed and made it to the second round.

I am eyeing this game as a key matchup for the 2022-23 campaign for multiple reasons. The first reason is the start of the year would look great. A 4-0 start in the Big Ten would look a lot better than 3-1. I also believe Illinois starting 13-1 would help us get inside the top 10 nationally.

More importantly, a win over Wisconsin could help Illinois win the Big Ten regular season and get a better seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Beating the Badgers is taking down one of the top teams in the conference. A win could help Illinois snag the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament due to the first tiebreaker being head-to-head competition. A win over Wisconsin helps with that tiebreaker.

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