The road to, at least, a share of the Big Ten regular season title seems to have just gotten easier for the Illinois basketball program.
Over the weekend, the Illini were able to go to College Park and take down a pesky Maryland squad. A day later, on Sunday, Purdue gave a gift to Illinois by falling to Ohio State. This loss puts Illinois in a position that if we win our final six games, we will take home, at least, a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
Next up for Illinois is Penn State on Wednesday in Happy Valley. On Monday afternoon, news broke that could help the Illini take down the Nittany Lions with more ease. It was reported by Jon Sauber of Centre Daily Times that Penn State guard Kanye Clary is no longer with the team.
Penn State guard Kanye Clary is no longer with the team, according to head coach Mike Rhoades.
— Jon Sauber (@JonSauber) February 19, 2024
The 5-foot-11 sophomore currently averages 16.7 points per game, which leads Penn State. He is also averaging 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest.
Illinois basketball has a rough history against the Penn State Nittany Lions
On paper, this game doesn’t look tough. Penn State has dropped three games in a row and is now 12-14 overall and 6-9 in the Big Ten. On top of that, they are now missing their best scoring threat in Clary.
But the Illini shouldn’t overlook the Nittany Lions. They have had rough teams in the past, but that doesn’t mean anything in this matchup.
Heading into the game on Wednesday, the Illini have dropped three straight games to Penn State. We have also lost nine out of the past 13 matchups.
For some reason, Penn State has been a thorn in the side of the Illinois basketball program. Things seem to be swinging in our favor this upcoming Wednesday, though. The Nittany Lions are struggling and without their best player, Illinois should be able to pounce.