The Illinois Fighting Illini have played themselves into, out of, and possibly back into a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Illini started the Big Ten season 2-0 then lost eight straight games to fall to 2-8 in the Big Ten. The Illini have won five of their last eight games to finish the Big Ten regular season with seven wins and eleven losses. The Illini are the 9th seed in the Big Ten Tournament and play Indiana in the first round.
Best case scenario: The best thing that can happen for the Illini is winning the Big Ten Tournament and receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This would mean they would have to win four straight games. If the Illini were to win two to three games in the Big Ten Tournament, they would have an outside shot of making the NCAA Tournament. Their resume would be stacked with quality wins, but there would also be countless bad losses.
Worst case scenario: The worst thing that can happen to the Illini would be getting bounced in the first or second round of the Big Ten Tournament. They would not make the NCAA Tournament, but that may not be a bad thing. The Illini would receive a good seed in the NIT (National Invitation Tournament) and this would allow the young players to gain valuable post-season experience.
No matter what happens to the Illini, they are still a young team that has a great returning class for next season. Three players who sat out this season will be eligible to play next year. The Illini also add a big-time recruit in Leron Black to their already strong returning cast.
The future looks bright for the Illini and Coach Groce.