20. Illinois (6-2)
The pure raw talent on Illinois makes this a very intriguing season in Champaign. Many of the pieces from last season’s Elite Eight run are gone, though the young pieces now in place have the ability to win the Big Ten, especially in a season where nobody is really emerging in this conference. However, this is a young team that’s still coming together and this week’s result shows it won’t always be a smooth ride.
Still reveling in their nice performance on Thanksgiving, Illinois kicked off Big Ten play with a tough showing, falling 70-66 in overtime at Northwestern on Friday night. The Fighting Illini saw brilliance from several of their young pieces, namely a 20-point, 10-rebound effort from Kasparas Jakucionis and also 15 points and 12 rebounds from Tomislav Ivisic. However, the offense went silent late in the game and conference play opens with a defeat.
One week after shooting the cover off the ball against Arkansas, the Fighting Illini struggled from outside. Illinois can win games in which they don’t make their 3-pointers, but the current state of this offense leans heavily on that part of their game, and a lack of fluid offense cost them late in Evanston. However, Illinois needs to quickly shake this off with two major opportunities at home this week, hosting Wisconsin and Tennessee.