Illini collapse in Westwood, fall on a buzzer beater once again.

In game number two of Illinois' west coast trip, Illinois' hopes for a Big Ten Title and potential 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament were shattered in 4.9 seconds. Ten minutes into the game all was well. Illinois' offense was unstoppable. The Illini went on a 20-0 run to give them a 23-point lead against the Bruins. Keaton Wagler went down with an injury, and UCLA immediately responded. The Bruins made 17 of their next 19 field goal attempts and stormed all the way back into the game. An Eric Dailey dunk tied the game at 56 and Illinois for the first time all season looked shell-shocked. The Illini haven't looked as lost since the massacre that occurred in Madison Square Garden last season against Duke. It looked like UCLA was about to run away with the game. Illinois had gone ice cold. Every single jumper was short, and UCLA took full advantage of it. The Illini were able to keep it close, and Ben Humrichous was a big reason why. The senior hit a late three to tie the game at 84. Humrichous had an excellent night, but it will go unnoticed because of the loss. Ater it was 84-84, Tyler Bilodeau made some free throws, but Keaton Wagler made two of his own to send the game to overtime.

Overtime is a very familiar sight for the Illini. Their previous two losses came in the extra 5 minutes. Illinois scored on the first possession of overtime, and it felt like this outcome was going to be different than the previous two. Tyler Bilodeau hit a three on the next possession. From that point on, Illinois did not make another field goal until Keaton Wagler got a putback layup with 4.9 seconds remaining to give Illinois a lead. But before that, Andrej Stojakovic had a chance for an offensive rebound while Illinois was up 1, but it somehow went through his hands. Illinois locked in and had maybe their best possession of the night. Ben Humrichous and Zvonimir Ivisic were all over a Trent Perry drive and blocked it. Somehow a whistle was called and Perry got bailed out. Wagler's put back seemed to make up for this missed call. With 4.9 seconds, UCLA and Illinois called their final timeouts. All Illinois had to do was play good defense for 4.9 seconds and avoid a coast-to-coast buzzer beater to the likes of Jordan Gainey and Tennessee. Illinois boldly decided to not put someone on the ball and the rest is history. Donavan Dent caught the ball with momentum and quickly made his way to the rim for an easy layup and capped off a spectacular performance. UCLA came back from the depths of despair and stunned Illinois in the process. In a season full of heartbreaking losses, this one hurt the most for the Illini.

What this means:

Teams that have gone on a 20-0 run in a game this season were 60-6. Illinois becomes just the 7th team to go on a 20-0 run and still find a way to lose. In a season where Illinois has suffered 3 overtime losses and 2 buzzer beater losses, this one is by far the most gut-wrenching. Illinois' offensive rating on KenPom rose from an already record breaking 132.5 to 132.7 after this, and Illinois still lost. It was the second largest comeback in a Big Ten game ever. I am sure there will be more stats to come out that highlights how brutal of a loss this was. Aside from the individual game, Illinois letting this opportunity slip away is a killer for their resume and postseason outlook.

Illinois' chances at a Big Ten Title are not mathematically gone, but let's just be real and admit they are gone. Michigan is not losing out, so there is no hope for the Big Ten Title. Illinois was also in the conversation of being a potential 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Those chances have never been more dead. Illinois at max will be a 2-seed, and this loss could potentially throw them on the 3-line. If Illinois loses to Oregon and/or Maryland to close the season, Illinois is in danger of dropping to the 4-line which would be a doomsday scenario. I said Illinois will be 2-seed if they just beat either UCLA or Michigan and won their two quad 3 games to end the regular season, but they let the easier one between UCLA and Michigan slip away. If Illinois loses to Michigan, I expect Illinois to become a 3-seed, which is just maddening when all Illinois had to do was get one stop in 4.9 seconds to avoid all of this. There is no spin zone to make Illini fans feel better about what just happened.

Luckily the beauty of college basketball is that nothing is over until it's over. If Illinois beats Michigan on Friday night, all the pain and frustration would be melted away. Illinois has to take this one on the chin and respond against Michigan.