Illinois basketball best-case scenario
Ugh, shake off that negative energy. Illinois basketball, at one time this season, was one of the best teams in the country. That bolt of lightning could happen again.
Sure, Illinois has dropped three games in a row, but they were to all top 12 programs. That isn’t the case the rest of the way out.
Illinois takes on Iowa at home on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes are without Owen Freeman, and they are struggling worse than us. That could easily be a win for the Orange and Blue.
The next game is on the road against No. 15 Michigan. This is a good matchup for the Illini, as we have some nice size to combat Vlad Goldin, although it would be nice to have had Morez Johnson Jr. In this series, Illinois has won eight in a row, so beating Michigan again isn’t a far reach.
Illinois’ final game is at home against No. 20 Purdue. The Boilermakers don’t have Zach Edey anymore, and the Illini guard length could give Purdue trouble. I could see this being a win as well.
Turning momentum and winning the final three games of the season would put Illinois at 20-11 overall and 12-8 in the Big Ten. That is going to, most likely, land Illinois as the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
The No. 7 seed gets the single bye and plays either the No. 10 or No. 15 seed. Illinois should be able to handle either of these teams and advance to the Elite 8 of the Big Ten Tournament to face the No. 2 seed, which is looking like Michigan. Having already beaten the Wolverines, taking them out again should be manageable.
Illinois makes the Final 4 of the Big Ten Tournament and faces No. 3 seed Maryland. The Terrapins always have our number, so this is probably where I have us losing. That puts Illinois at 22-12 on the season. I think we enter the NCAA tournament as a No. 6 seed.
As a No. 6 seed, the Illini would take on a No. 11 seed. Getting past the first round is very likely. The second round would be a matchup against a No. 3 seed. It honestly wouldn’t shock me to see Illinois beat a No. 3 seed to advance to back-to-back Sweet 16s. That is where the season would likely end, as the No. 2 seed probably has too much firepower.