Upcoming schedule is a litmus test for the Illinois basketball program

It ended up being an ugly Friday night with a loss to Northwestern, and now the Illinois basketball team is in some deep water with the upcoming schedule.

Illinois v Northwestern
Illinois v Northwestern | Michael Reaves/GettyImages

Illinois basketball fell to Northwestern on Friday night, and this loss is one of the more disappointing defeats in recent memory.

Now, let’s also take a step back and look at the scenario. The Illini rely on a ton of freshmen and newcomers to lead this program. We are only eight games into the 2024-25 season, so you can chalk it up to inexperience and chemistry.

Even with that being the case, the game on Friday night was a big one for multiple reasons. The first being that it was our rival. Northwestern is always a must-win, but they have been able to now take three out of the last five matchups.

Moreover, this game was bigger than just a rivalry matchup. I think there could be a chance that Illinois needed this game more than most people think just judging from what lies ahead.

The next month will be a huge test for Brad Underwood and the Illinois basketball program

Northwestern, while they are a good team, they are one of the easiest games Illinois will have in the coming month. Things don’t get easier from here.

The next two contests are both in Champaign, but they are against No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 3 Tennessee. They have a combined record of 16-1 this season.

Missouri in the Braggin’ Rights game follows those two contests. That game is always tough, and the Tigers are much improved from last season, as they loaded up in the transfer portal.

The only respite for the Orange and Blue is against a winless Chicago State team, but then we hop right back on the tough bandwagon with a trip out west. Illinois takes on No. 12 Oregon and Washington both on the road. Traveling that far for games is going to be tough.

So, now that the dust has settled and Illinois has fallen to Northwestern, that defeat may end up having a big impact on the season. Over the next month, we will find out what this team is made of. Are they going to be the team that shrank on Friday night or the team that trucked a ranked Arkansas squad? Only time will tell.

5 disappointing observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Northwestern. 5 disappointing observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Northwestern. dark. Next

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