Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers

5. The Illini are in striking distance of Purdue

Just about a month ago, I didn’t think Illinois had any chance of winning the Big Ten regular season. Shoot, I thought that the top four, which gets you the double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, was going to be a struggle.

Well, fast forward about a month and Illinois has now won seven out of the last eight games. This has launched us up the Big Ten standings, and the Illini currently sit in solo No. 2 in the conference. This is an achievement that didn’t seem imaginable with the way the program was playing.

While nothing is finished yet, and we could always drop back down, Illinois is one game clear of the double-bye. Honestly, at this point, I have my eyes set on potentially winning the Big Ten regular season once again.

Illinois is now just three games back of Purdue for the top spot. The Boilermakers are having an incredible season, ranked No. 1 in the country with a 21-1 record overall. But they are a beatable team. Their only loss came to Rutgers.

Purdue and Illinois play in the final game of the season on March 5. So, if Illinois can win that game, we just have to make up two games in the next eight contests.

This won’t be an easy task, though. There are some tough games ahead for the Illini, and we would likely need to win out to have a chance at winning the Big Ten. But, let’s say that happens. Illinois finishes 25-6 overall and 16-4 in the Big Ten. What two games would Purdue then potentially drop?

I think you have to look at the Indiana game this Saturday. The Boilermakers travel to Bloomington. That is a potential loss. I would also eye the road games at Maryland and at Wisconsin. Both arenas are tough to play in.

There are opportunities for Purdue to drop some games down the stretch. But Illinois has to play flawless basketball as well. It will be tough, but I am not counting out the Illini just yet.