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Illinois Basketball: ESPN bracketology update has the Illini slipping

By Rees Woodcock

Jan 16, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Ty Rodgers (20) drives to the basket against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Ty Rodgers (20) drives to the basket against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports /
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In the latest Illinois basketball bracketology, Joe Lunardi has the Orange and Blue dropping.

It feels like it has been about a year since we last saw the Illini in action. You have to go back to February 4 to find the last time we played a game. Sadly, Illinois fell in a close contest with Iowa.

Illinois was supposed to have a game on Tuesday, but the contest against Minnesota was postponed and rescheduled for February 20. With a loss in the last game, and no other make-up games since then, Lunardi has the Illini dropping down a peg in his latest bracket prediction.

Lunardi now has Illinois sitting at the No. 6 seed slot. Before the loss to Iowa, the Illini were checking in as a No. 5 seed. This isn’t a huge change, but it is something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Who is the Illinois basketball team playing in the latest ESPN bracketology?

With the drop down to the No. 6 spot, Illinois is going to have to face a tougher team in the first round. Right now, Lunardi has the Illini taking on a play-in game between Nevada and Memphis.

I want to avoid playing the team who wins the play-in game. These teams have had some serious success over the past few NCAA tournaments. In 2022, Notre Dame won the No. 11 seed play-in game and advanced to the second round. In 2021, UCLA made it to the Final Four. In 2018, Syracuse made it to the Sweet 16.

If Illinois would get the No. 6 seed and advance to the second round, a nice regional matchup of No. 3 Iowa State could be waiting. That would be a fun game to watch. Illinois then could end up getting a rematch of No. 2 seed UCLA in the Sweet 16.

Even though Illinois is on the No. 6 seed line right now, there is still plenty of time to change our standing. No. 24 Rutgers awaits on Saturday. This would be a nice game to give the Orange and Blue a little boost.

It is interesting to look at where some of the national pundits have us ranked, but Illinois is likely to finish somewhere in the No. 4 or No. 5 seed range when it is all said and done.

Next. 5 observations from the Illini loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. dark

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