Illinois Basketball: 3 keys for resurgence of Fighting Illini in 2019-20
By Ryan Kay
Illinois Basketball is having their best season in over a decade. What has been the reasons for the Illini’s success?
Illinois Basketball has a good hoops tradition as they have had success on the hardwood court making it the NCAA championship in 2005 when they won 37 games that season and only losing one game that season. However, they have not had much success of late but that looks to be changing this season.
Last season the Illinois men’s basketball team went 12-21. The year before last they ended their season with a 14-18 record. The Fighting Illini’s last winning season came in 2017 when they won 20 games and ended the season with a 68-58 loss at Central Florida in the quarterfinals of the NIT post-season tournament. This season has a different feel to it as they are currently 14-5 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten.
They are in 2nd place in the Big Ten standings and they are one of the very select few teams in the Big Ten to have won multiple games on opposing Big Ten teams courts having beaten Purdue and Wisconsin both of the road. The Fighting Illini didn’t start off the season great but as the old saying goes, it is not how you start but how you finish.
Illinois did not play great overall in non-conference play having lost at Arizona by 21 points, losing at home to Miami, and falling short against one of their top rivals, Missouri on a neutral court. However, in Big Ten play the Fighting Illini have really played well.
They lost at Maryland by 1 in a game in which they lead for the major of the game but then they defeated at the time No. 5 ranked Michigan. When Big Ten play resumed in January, the Fighting Illini after a disappointing 20 point loss at Michigan State, they have won five straight Big Ten games including a sweep of Purdue and a victory over Rutgers. Illinois has a legitimate chance to win the Big Ten this season, especially if they continue to play as they have of late.
Fans of college basketball prior to the season may not have expected Illinois to be in the position that they are in heading into the month of February. Even though the Fighting Illini did not lose a ton of valuable players from last season’s squad, they were not predicted by many to be in contention to win a Big Ten Title. However, it should not be a surprise that they are playing as well as they are in Big Ten play.
Let’s take a closer look at why Illinois basketball is having a resurgence and how they are becoming a more prominent team not only in the Big Ten but also in college basketball as well. The Fighting Illini are currently ranked #22 in Ken Pom, ranked #21 in the AP poll, and ranked #22 in the Coaches poll. Here is a look at the three keys to the resurgence of the Fighting Illini.