Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Wisconsin and Nebraska make gains after start to league play

By Austin Walther

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 01: Ethan Happ #22 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates the 59-54 win over the Maryland Terrapins during the second round of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 01: Ethan Happ #22 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates the 59-54 win over the Maryland Terrapins during the second round of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 19: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini tries to shoot the ball as he is closely guarded by Zach Norvell Jr. (L) #23 and Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half of the game at Lahaina Civic Center on November 19, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 19: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini tries to shoot the ball as he is closely guarded by Zach Norvell Jr. (L) #23 and Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half of the game at Lahaina Civic Center on November 19, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

14. Illinois Fighting Illini (2-6)

Previous rank: 13

It’s been tough sledding for Illinois in the first month. The 99 point performance showed some hope for the Illini. They played Georgetown tough. Maui was brutal, but they bounced back with Mississippi Valley State. Then it was on the road to Notre Dame and Nebraska. They have all been quality teams, but Illinois only has a pair of wins in eight games.

Illinois almost pulled the upset over the Bulldogs when Trent Frazier went off. They ran out of gas when it came time to play Iowa State. The Illini simply just felt out of place against Xavier. Illinois got off the island, returned home and had a nice buy-game win.

They drew Notre Dame in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Illinois had a one-point lead at halftime. The Irish only outscored the Illini by three in the second half which led to the two-point loss. If they had won, it would’ve been a tough decision on who to rank last.

They did find scoring outside of Ayo Dosunmu and Frazier in West Bend. Aaron Jordan continues to go off from outside and Giorgi Bezhanishvili can cause a mismatch at times. But it would have been nice if their stars had contributed.

Illinois got totally outplayed in the first half against Nebraska. They did outscore the Cornhuskers by one in the second half, but by that point, it was over. Frazier failed to get to double-digits again and they can’t find a consistent guy to be the point guard.

Dosunmu, Frazier and Jordan can really shoot the ball well. Bezhanishvili has started eight games and is reliable in the front court. Kipper Nichols was hoping for a solid junior year, but he was pulled from the starting lineup. They’re still really young and Brad Underwood is trying to help them find their identity.

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