The Champaign Room · Mar 17, 2023
How will Illinois handle this offseason?
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesThe Illini Men’s Basketball program enters an uncertain future with no clear plan.
Illinois lost its first round tournament game 73-63 to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Thursday night. Arkansas controlled significant portions of the game. Eric Musselman’s athletic squad pummeled the Illini with a +9 performance on the glass in a game where neither team topped 40% from the field or 30% from beyond the arc.
The end of the “hero ball” era in Champaign was set to bring about a new era of deeper tournament runs from a versatile roster not dependent on one superstar. No Ayo, no Kofi, no problem. Right?