Realistically, there was one goal for the women’s Illinois basketball team in the Big Ten Tournament.
No, it wasn’t to win the whole thing, although that would have been amazing. For me, the goal was to win two games. This would enable a serious conversation about having the Illini move up in the NCAA tournament seeding.
On Sunday night, Charlie Creme of ESPN updated his projected NCAA tournament bracket. The once-No. 8 seed Orange and Blue did indeed move up one spot. We are now projected to be a No. 7 seed.
This movement wasn’t due to the Wisconsin win, though. It was the game against Michigan State. Taking out the No. 18 team in the country secured another Quad 1 win for the Illini, and this is the reason we are now in line for a No. 7 seed.
The big reason moving up one spot in the NCAA tournament was a goal was that we wouldn’t have to play a No. 1 seed in the second round. The path to a Sweet 16 berth got slightly easier.
With the updated prediction from ESPN, Illinois is slated to take on No. 10 Clemson. If we can get past that talented team, the No. 2 seed Vanderbilt awaits.
Is the path to the Sweet 16 realistic for the Illinois basketball program
Clemson is a scary No. 10 seed. They aren’t a bad team. This program has been able to knock off a team like Duke, which is projected to be a No. 2 seed.
Illinois and Clemson have a common opponent, though. The Tigers lost to Michigan State by eight points back in November. Illinois split two games with the Spartans this season.
I could definitely see Illinois beating Clemson. It will be a tough defensive battle, but this will be a great game.
The game against Vanderbilt would be the toughest matchup. While I would be happy that it isn’t UConn, the Commodores aren’t exactly a bad team. In fact, they have some incredible wins this season.
Vanderbilt has victories over LSU, Michigan, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky again, and Alabama. All of those were ranked wins at the time.
Destiny Jackson would have her hands full with one of the best players in the country, too. Mikayla Blakes is averaging 27.0 points per game this season and is shooting 36.1% from three-point range. That would be a fascinating matchup for our true freshman.