The women’s Illinois basketball program has looked good for most of the season, but there is an upcoming stretch of games that will likely determine the rest of the 2024-25 campaign.
Coming off an inaugural WBIT championship, the Illini had high expectations for the following season. Nearly everyone returned for another go at getting back to the NCAA tournament and advancing.
The 2024-25 season started off on the right foot too. The opening game was a nine-point win over No. 19 Florida State. Five more wins followed and a spot in the AP Top 25.
Through 13 games this season, Illinois sat with an 11-2 record overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. The only losses were to ranked opponents in No. 14 Kentucky and No. 12 Ohio State. So, the season was going well.
This past Tuesday, the Illini had the first real hiccup of the season. Washington came to town and knocked us off. While the Huskies aren’t a bad team, falling at home to an unranked opponent is never a positive.
When I look at the upcoming Illinois schedule, it is pretty evident that the next four games are going to be a make or break for the program. I think these next four contests could determine how the rest of the 2024-25 season will unfold.
The next game is at Minnesota on Sunday. This is a 14-1 Golden Gophers program with their only loss to a top 25 Nebraska team. Illinois then takes on 12-2 No. 23 Iowa on Thursday in Champaign.
To round out the four-game stretch, the Illini travel to Bloomington to play 10-4 Indiana. The finale is at home against No. 21 Michigan State.
Having the two non-ranked opponents on the road is tough. The schedule didn’t do Illinois any favors. I think, at the end of the day, Illinois has to emerge from this four-game stretch 2-2.
My goal for the Illini is to split the road and home games. Minnesota and Indiana are both going to be tough on the road. Illinois beat the Golden Gophers in the only game they played last season. We split the series with Indiana. The Hoosiers are having a down year, so that could be the game to keep an eye on. Beating Minnesota could be gravy.
And then I want to split the ranked home games. Beating either No. 23 Iowa or No. 21 Michigan State would keep us on the right track to make the NCAA tournament.
I think Iowa is the team to keep an eye on here. The Hawkeyes lost a lot of talent from last season, so this is an opportunity to knock off a ranked Hawkeyes program.
Illinois going 2-2 over the next four games would be a success. This is a tough stretch, but .500 would keep us on pace to make the postseason. That would put the Illini at 13-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten. That is the goal over the next two weeks.
Injury bug continues to plague the Illinois basketball program
While the hope is that Illinois goes 2-2 in the next four contests, it could be tough with the injuries continuing to hamper the program.
With the way Shauna Green is talking, we might not see Makira Cook for the rest of the 2024-25 season. That is sad considering she returned for one more year. Losing her means a serious three-point threat is off the board.
Another big injury is Gretchen Dolan. She gave Illinois sparks as a freshman, and when on the court this season, she has been great for the program. Dolan has been in an out of the lineup, but she will miss the Minnesota game on Sunday. I am curious how Illinois does in the Big Ten season with these two key injuries.