OK, Josh Whitman, it’s your turn.
John Groce’s Illini fell flat in their second consecutive morning start and, certain to miss the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year, have the option to present an 18-14 record to the NIT basketball committee.
Looking back to Saturday, the loss at Rutgers was a toss-up that ended on a late three-pointer. The Big Ten tournament trip to Washington, D.C., while much less adventurous than Michigan’s delayed flight, ended quickly. The Wolverines capitalized on UI miscues, rocketed ahead 31-11 and won by that margin, 75-55.
The dashing, jump-shooting trio of Derrick Walton, Zak Irvin and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman nearly matched the Illini total with 54.