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A gross game lands Illinois basketball a coveted position in the Big Ten Tournament

Winning isn't easy in the Big Ten, but Illinois basketball still managed to beat Maryland and get a coveted spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
ByRees Woodcock|
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Mar 8, 2026; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) gets in a defensive position during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Mar 8, 2026; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) gets in a defensive position during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

On paper, the Illinois basketball team finished the season how we needed to finish the season.

After dropping four out of six games, the Illini went into the final two games of the 2025-26 season needing to win both games. A trouncing of a bad Oregon program led to the game we saw on Saturday against Maryland.

Maryland is also a bad team, but Illinois struggled mightily with the Terrapins. Instead of having a ton of momentum heading into the postseason, that win over Maryland leaves me with more questions than answers.

There is no question that the win on Sunday was gross and didn’t look great, but it helped achieve the ultimate goal of the day.

Secure the coveted Big Ten Tournament triple-bye.

With so many teams now in the Big Ten, the conference tournament had to expand. The Big Ten Tournament starts on Tuesday, but a loss against Maryland would have been devastating for the Illini.

A loss on Sunday would have dropped Illinois to 14-6 in the Big Ten, which would have been a tie with Wisconsin and, maybe, Nebraska. That would have put Illinois outside the top four in the conference, which means we wouldn’t have secured the triple-bye.

With the win, Illinois now starts the Big Ten Tournament on Friday instead of Thursday. This gives the team four full days of rest heading into a crucial stretch of the season.

Illinois could finish as the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament if Nebraska falls to Iowa, which doesn’t look like it will happen. So, with the tie-breaker going to the Cornhuskers, it is looking like Illinois will be the No. 4 seed.

The Big Ten Tournament is setting up to be a battle for the Illinois basketball program

As a likely No. 4 seed, the first game we will play will be 25 minutes after game one on Friday, March 13. The first game starts at 11:00 a.m. CT/12:00 p.m. ET. With each game lasting roughly two hours, we are looking at roughly a 1:30 p.m. CT/2:30 p.m. ET tip.

The challenger for the Illini will be interesting. On Wednesday, it will be the No. 12 seed vs. the No. 13 seed, which will be Washington against USC. That winner takes on the No. 5 seed, which is Wisconsin. The winner of that game will then take on Illinois on Friday.

Illinois needed rest and some time to practice. Things aren’t going well despite the winning. This time off couldn’t come at a better time.

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