Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to the Purdue Boilermakers

5. I am worried about the postseason

As of right now, I am kind of in a bad place with the Illinois basketball program. I hate feeling this way, but the team has not given me any signs that they can make a run in the postseason.

What I saw on Sunday against Purdue isn’t a one-off. This is a trend that the Illini have developed over the past few months. Our bodies arrive at the game and we are physically there for tip-off, but our minds and game don’t arrive until the second half.

Illinois dug a 21-point hole at halftime. You can’t expect to dig out of that hole and win the game more often than not. A big reason for this hole is the fact that our veterans, whom I have blamed plenty already, aren’t engaged in the game early on. Brad Underwood is starting these players, but they dig us into a deep hole within the first few minutes.

Against Michigan, while we were actually up by two points, we played like garbage in the first half. Illinois shot 25% from three-point range and 36.4% from the field. The only reason we had the lead was the fact Michigan had eight turnovers.

In the game before that, Ohio State had a 12-point lead over Illinois going into halftime. We couldn’t dig out of that hole. The game prior to that, the Illini got into an 18-point hole against Northwestern. We dug out of that hole in the second half to win the game somehow.

There are so many adjectives I could use to describe how I feel about the Illini right now. I know how much talent this team has, but our veteran leaders aren’t showing up. Disappointing might not be a strong enough word. I think I am going to land on the word, gross. I feel gross about this team. I know there is the talent to win a national title, but I think there are egos that will get in the way. It is gross.