Michigan’s Title Night Dampens Illinois’ Hopes, Raises Questions for March

Coming off three heartbreaking losses in the last five games, Illinois fans still woke up with reason for hope. #3 Michigan gave Illinois a chance to bounce back in front of an electric home environment. The Orange Krush had been waiting outside since the early hours of Friday to potentially see one of the biggest wins in the Brad Underwood Era and prevent Michigan from clinching an outright Big Ten Title. Morez Johnson Jr. also made his return and gave Illini fans even more reasons to get amped up. What started out as a promising night, turned into a disaster. Illinois hung around for the first 10 or so minutes, and the State Farm Center was as loud as I have ever heard it in person. A Keaton Wagler and-one three pointer gave Illinois a 5-point lead early, but after that, it was an onslaught. Michigan took the Illini to the Pizza Hut parking lot and beat them up. The final score of 84-70 was not reflective of how dominant Michigan was. The Wolverines clinched the outright Big Ten Title and Morez Johnson Jr. had an excellent game. All the credit goes to Michigan because they are now the well-deserved Big Ten Champs, and there is nothing Illinois can do besides taking it on the chin and maybe wait for another opportunity to face them again. Unlike the prior three losses where it felt like Illinois should have won but didn't make enough plays, last night, Michigan gave Illinois no chance of winning. For the first time since November, Illinois received the belt as Brad Underwood said after the game. Tomorrow begins a new month, and that is March. What is usually a time for hope and joy has Illinois fans more worried and soul searching. These last few weeks have left more questions, and no answers have been received. Answers could have been given last night, but instead Illinois lost another marquee home opportunity and now leave fans wondering why they should expect anything but heartbreak in March.

Since 2021, Illinois is 4-10 in Quad 1-A home games. While no one is expecting that to be 14-0, they would surely hope for better than 4-10. Most times this fanbase has reason to be excited for a home game, the crowd shows up but is left with nothing to cheer for as the clock approaches triple zeros. Last night was no different, so what went wrong?

First, it was evident that Michigan is just a better team. They have the athletes and talent that are just above Illinois. While over 300 programs would happily trade places with Illinois in tier 3 of the college basketball hierarchy, Michigan with Dusty May is now in tier 1. Dusty May had a masterclass in roster construction. He built a flawless roster. They simply have no weaknesses. Illinois' offense is built on being able to mismatch hunt. Unfortunately, Michigan has no weak link on defense to hunt. Although I predicted an Illinois win, I still said Michigan is going to win the natty. While I think "national title or bust" is an insane expectation for any team, I would personally be stunned if Michigan isn't at least playing in April. I haven't watched Illinois play a team that didn't feel beatable if they played 10 times since Duke last season and UConn the year prior in the Elite 8. Illinois is quite frankly in a tier or two below those types of teams. That's the harsh truth that few want to hear. Last night was a microcosm of how far Illinois has risen in the Brad Underwood era and how far they still have to climb to reach the pinnacle of college basketball. Underwood has given fans hope and reason to expect to beat a team like Michigan, but every time, without failure, it seems like Illinois falls short in some capacity. While I think last night was more about how good Michigan is, it's still frustrating to fail once again.

Michigan won the game in the front court. The combination of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr, and Aday Mara gave Illinois so much trouble. Those three combined for 54 points and 23 rebounds. They showed up and showed out while the Illinois front court continues to disappoint. David Mirkovic was solid, as he finished with a double-double. Ben Humrichous was also fine I thought. He had one really nice putback dunk to ignite the crowd. The Ivisic twins had maybe their worst combined night, and they could not have picked a worse opponent than Michigan to do it against. A combined 4 rebounds in 38 minutes in unacceptable. Illinois will never beat a team of that caliber when they combine to gather 4 rebounds and can't hit the side of a barn on a jump shot.

My biggest key entering the game was keeping Michigan out of transition. Illinois did not do that. While they only had 10 points out of transition, the Wolverines got out and ran even after made buckets. Illinois was a step slow which goes back to the athleticism concerns about this roster. Michigan even sped Illinois up at some points. There was one errant pass from Kylan Boswell that literally made me just put my hands on my head in disbelief. Illinois' backcourt of Wagler and Boswell had solid nights overall, but they made some terrible mistakes with the ball that can't be made if you want to win games like this.

Illinois does not have the foot speed and athletes to compete defensively against good competition. Morez Johnson and Aday Mara were able to roll to the rim unbothered with no one the weakside ready to stop them. Michigan got whatever they wanted and continued to add to the Illini's defensive struggles over the last few weeks. Brad Underwood thought he could get the best out of Andrej Stojakovic, especially on defense. Last night he was unplayable as he tallied a season low 12 minutes. Illinois needs more athletes both on the perimeter and inside so that in games like these, they are not outmatched.

With Illinois now dropping 4 of their last 6, the questions keep mounting for this season and the future. After every loss, whether his fault or not, Brad Underwood goes under attack from a good chunk of this fanbase. Usually, the smoke and fire are people projecting, and there is never any real meaning to it. The UCLA game was the only game I put most of the blame on Brad because they blew a 23-point lead and got Tyus Edney'd for the second time in two years. Last night, Illinois did not belong on the same court as Michigan, and I don't think there was one person to blame. It was a group effort. Michigan is just better, and that I can live with. When a lesser team gets beaten up, I at least don't have to ask myself why that happened. When Illinois blows a 23-point lead in a crucial game to effectively seal up a 2 seed on Selection Sunday, I am left clenching my fists in anger and frustration because that's not what should happen. The past is in the past at this point. The only thing Illinois can do is move on and try to improve.

Brad Underwood discourse is fine and should be present. Illinois should not have lost to Loyola. Illinois should not have given up a 30-0 run in the Elite 8, and there are plenty more examples I could ramble on about. Where I draw the line is when people keep calling for him to be fired. My question for those who want him gone is this: Who do you think would walk through those doors to do a better job? Dan Hurley? Todd Golden? Illinois an incredible jo, obviously, but not one where the best of the best would drop everything to get on a jet headed to Champaign. Brad Underwood is a good basketball coach. Anyone who wants him gone is foolish. You don't reach the top until you get to the top. If Illinois fans had Jay Wright as their coach, they would have called for his job a million times before he got to the top. Illinois has to keep putting themselves in position to be in position. With that said, with how the last few weeks have gone, there will be much more added pressure this March because Illinois hasn't reached the top and the regular season has been disappointing after a 20-3 start and some comparing the team to '89 or '05.

Illinois can't go back in time to box out Jaxon Kohler to win in regulation against MSU. They can't go back in time to not blow a 12-point lead late against Wisconsin. They can't go back in time to prevent Donovan Dent from going the length of the court to win for UCLA, and they can't go back in time to prevent Dusty May from building a superior team. What Illinois can do; however, is go back to the drawing board and figure out how they can get the most out of this group. A team's season is ultimately remembered on what they do in the NCAA Tournament. I am not saying that the regular season does not matter because it for sure does. If it didn't, I wouldn't be watching college basketball every night since November. All I am saying is a good season can be put to an end with a sour taste in your mouth. 2021 Illinois experienced that. While that team will always be remembered for how good they were, losing in the second round will never not leave a sour taste in the mouth of Illini fans. A bad season can be immortalized based on what happens in the NCAA Tournament. See 2024 NC State for example. The Wolfpack were on the verge of firing their coach, but a magical Final Four run out of nowhere gave Kevin Keats one more year. Anything can happen in March, and it's up to Illinois to change the narrative on how this season will be remembered. From a 20-3 start to never-ending heartbreak or embarrassment, this season might not be looked upon fondly in the future, but the way a season ends can always shift the tide in how people view it.

Illinois is still a 2 seed on many bracketologies, with some having them as a 3 seed. Illinois is playing two bad teams next week. Hopefully, the Illini can build some momentum as they head into the postseason with two wins. Oregon is more talented than their record, and if you know me, I will always fear Maryland Basketball no matter how bad they are. These are not automatic wins, but realistically, Illinois should bounce back next week. The most likely scenarios leave Illinois as a 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The 5 seed would likely be Purdue, setting up an excellent game on Friday of Champ Week that could have direct implications on NCAA Tournament seeding. The winner of that game would also get another chance at taking down Michigan, assuming they don't stumble in the quarterfinals.

A 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament can give Illinois a good path to make a run that people ultimately remember. Does anyone really remember the Penn State and Purdue games in 2024? Yes, but it's usually after they remember the fun Elite 8 run Illinois went on. If Illinois gets back on track and does what they are capable of, this season can still be looked back upon with good feelings. I am not saying Illinois is going to win a National Championship, because I am confident this team won't. Last night was proof of that, in my opinion. If the dominoes fall in their favor, a Final Four is still in reach for the Illini. At the very least, Illinois fans should expect to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, a place that has been difficult for Illinois to reach since 2005.

Vent all your frustrations with how the last few weeks have gone. That’s part of being invested. And one of the reasons you are invested is because Brad Underwood is the head coach. It is good to let everything out, but when the calendar turns to March tomorrow morning, I invite everyone to come back and get behind this group. The team that was 20-3 didn't just disappear. I am not going to gaslight anyone into thinking Underwood is the best coach in college basketball, but I believe you will be sorely mistaken if you think one of his teams will just quit after some setbacks. Even last season when Illinois was borderline approaching bubble territory, they found a way to beat ranked Michigan and Purdue to close the regular season. Is this a national title team? Probably not. But I refuse to let a group that, 23 games into the season, was being mentioned in the same breath as the ’89 and ’05 teams be casually dismissed and forgotten. Seasons are rarely linear. Momentum swings and confidence wavers, but March doesn’t reward perfection, it rewards resilience and sometimes even luck of the draw.

Now is the time for Illinois to show us what they are truly made of with their backs against the wall. This can still be a March to remember. Returning to the question of "why should I expect anything good to happen in March," it's important to note that you shouldn't anticipate heartbreak in the upcoming weeks. Illinois is a good basketball team. There are flaws and weaknesses that could be exposed further, but Illinois will get a good seed in the NCAA Tournament. Let the juices of March reel you back in and believe once again. This still can be something special. If you believe me great. If you don't, keep telling it to yourselves until you start to believe again.