13. Illinois (22-7)
At some point in recent days Illinois seems to have lost the plot. Brad Underwood’s squad boasts one of the most efficient offenses we’ve ever seen, but that hasn’t resulted in wins in recent weeks. Illinois built an impressive 12-game winning streak that spanned nearly two months and a ton of Big Ten victories. The Fighting Illini then lost three overtime games during February and made matters worse with their showing this week.
Fresh off an absolute stunner last weekend at UCLA, Illinois was back home and trying to get things right but did the exact opposite. Hosting an elite squad in Michigan, the Fighting Illini fell out of the game in the second half, losing 84-70 on their home floor. Keaton Wagler shined with 23 points and Kylan Boswell added 15 points but this was one of Illinois’s worst efforts of the season, especially on the defensive end against the Michigan bigs.
Where exactly does the Fighting Illini go from here? In reality this is still a great basketball team that can win important games in the month to come, but it’s hard to be excited looking at how some of these recent games have developed. Fortunately, there are two easier games to finish their regular season against Oregon and Maryland, with Underwood hoping his team will have bounced back and be ready for postseason action soon.