The women's Illinois basketball team is just two wins away from their third 20-win season under head coach Shauna Green.
The Illini, who have one of the youngest cores in the country, have had one of the most impressive runs in the Big Ten this season. From starting off the season with an 11-game winning streak to downing ranked teams like Maryland and Washington in conference play, this team has certainly shown that they are worthy of a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Granted, Illinois has had their struggles with a gauntlet of opponents like No. 8 Michigan and No. 2 UCLA. But regardless of those, this team has really given fans in Champaign a reason to believe this season. They have provided the Illinois faithful hope and a glimpse at a bright future for this program.
Now, in the third-to-last game of the season, Green and Co. will be facing off against a familiar foe in the 8-18 Northwestern Wildcats. Earlier this season, the Orange and Blue did pull off a close win against coach Joe McKeown's crew. But what are a few questions that we should be asking ourselves before these two squads meet in a rematch this afternoon?
1. Can Northwestern put this streak of bad luck to bed?
Just like Rutgers, the Wildcats have not had a stellar 2025-26 campaign. It has been a rough go of it for Illinois' in-state rival, with Northwestern sporting the second-worst record in the Big Ten at 2-13.
The Wildcats have been in complete disarray all season long, losing 18 of their last 20 games heading into Sunday's matchup against Illinois. They are also coming into this game on a dreadful eight-game losing streak, where they have lost each game by an average of 19.1 points.
If this team has any chance of winning on Sunday, they are going to need to shake the monkey off their back and not let Illinois get into a groove. Granted, that's easier said than done based on the way both teams have been playing. But with Northwestern having more problems than they do answers, it is hard to really pinpoint one specific thing for them to fix in order to beat the Illini.
2. Will the Illini keep senior forward Grace Sullivan in check?
The Wildcats offense runs through senior forward Grace Sullivan, and that's a fact. The Antioch, Illinois, product has been the primary scorer for Northwestern all season long, averaging a team-leading 22 points per game across 25 games played.
Sullivan's uncanny ability to create shots in the paint and from mid-range has made her the Wildcats' most efficient offensive threat every time they come up the court. She has outperformed the rest of her teammates by a country mile, with the next leading scorer on the squad averaging only 10.3 points per game.
If the Illini want to win this game, then their game plan against Sullivan is going to be the key. If the Illini can make her life difficult, or make her feel like she has to beat them on her own, then they will be sitting pretty in Evanston on the defensive side of the ball.
3. Will Illinois start off slow or put this game away early?
The Illini have had a big problem with starting games off slow recently. This team has been struggling to jump out to early leads, with both of their losses against Oregon and USC being attributed to the measly 47 first half points that they scored between both contests.
It has been rather uncharacteristic of Illinois' part, especially with a bid for the NCAA Tournament being on the horizon. They have fallen behind or kept it close in three of their last four games now and have needed to dig themselves out of holes in order to salvage a bit of pride.
This trend should not continue today at Welsh-Ryan Arena, and I would be shocked if it does. As stated before, the Wildcats have been down in the dumps for far too long. I'm expecting Illinois to shake this bug, put this game away early, and create another statement win as we head into March.