5 painful observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Penn State

5. The flap on the panic button is open

The final slide of the night is more of a feeling slide. Illinois basketball was winning me back over with the play on the court, but after Wednesday night, this is the worst I have felt about the program in a long time.

Last weekend feels so far away now. Those were the days. Illinois had just won two games in a row, and Purdue fell to Ohio State. All Illinois had to do was win the final six games, and we win a share of the Big Ten regular season crown.

The first game, not the second, third, or even the Purdue game in a couple of weeks, it was the first game after the Boilermakers gave us a golden opportunity. We squandered it the first stinking game to a Penn State team that was in the bottom four of the Big Ten.

Winning has masked some of the issues with the program. Maryland isn’t a good team, and we barely got by them. If you take an honest look at the schedule. Illinois could have easily lost to both Nebraska and the Terrapins. If those games flip, that would be four losses in five games.

Illinois hasn’t beaten a quality team in a while either. Nebraska is on the bubble. Michigan State is a projected seven seed, so that win on January 11 is the best victory in the year 2024 for the Illini.

I am not fully hitting the panic button, but let me tell you, the flap is open. The red panic button is dusted off. I am ready to hit it, and if we don’t look good and take down Iowa without a huge fight, then I am slamming my palm against that button and sounding the alarm. This season is on the brink.