Entering the Big Ten Tournament, the Illinois basketball program seemed pretty set in what seed we were getting in the NCAA tournament.
The Illini dropped two straight games against ranked opponents that would have shaken things up. But where it stood entering the postseason was that Illinois is likely going to be a No. 8 seed.
As a No. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, a nice win over Wisconsin wasn’t going to move the needle. Illinois needed to do something special to really make a case for rising in the NCAA tournament bracket.
On Thursday night, the Orange and Blue did just that. Illinois went head-to-head against a top 20 program in Michigan State and beat them 71-69. The same Spartans team we lost to by six points in East Lansing almost two months ago to the day.
That is also a Spartans bunch that ranks No. 16 in the NET Rankings. According to my calculations, that is another Quad 1 victory for Illinois.
The Illini won’t move up on our own, though. We needed some help. That help arrived on Thursday as well.
No. 22-ranked Georgia had their chance to at least cement themselves as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. They are currently projected in this slot, but the Bulldogs missed their chance to shine.
Some would say, they are all bark and no bite. Get it? They are Bulldogs…bark…bite.
Anyway, Georgia went up against No. 17 Kentucky in the second round of the SEC Tournament. A win for them would have done some wonders, but they didn’t just lose the game. Georgia fell flat by 15 points.
On top of the Bulldogs getting trucked by the Wildcats, when you look at the NET Rankings, Illinois sits at No. 32, and Georgia is at No. 34.
At this point, it is pretty simple math. Illinois just had a top 20 win over Michigan State, and we are higher than Georgia in the NET Rankings. This should be an easy move for the Illini to hop to the No. 7-seed line.
Illinois basketball isn’t done with the Big Ten Tournament, as we eye another big upset
To say a win over No. 18 Michigan State is a big upset might be overdoing it a bit. The Spartans are good, but we are a pretty equal team, regardless of what the rankings say.
The real big fish is in the third round. Illinois’ prize for beating a ranked Michigan State squad is the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten and the No. 9 team in the country, the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Here is the thing with Iowa: Illinois just took them down to the wire a week ago. We only lost to the Hawkeyes by four points at Iowa. The Illini know they can compete with this team because it just happened.
A win over Iowa, and who knows what could happen in the Big Ten Tournament and with NCAA tournament seeding? This team is young and hungry. The world is their oyster.