CHAMPAIGN, ILL. — If Northwestern’s program-defining season crashes and burns down the stretch, it will likely have the Fighting Illini to blame.
For the second time in the month of February, the Wildcats suffered an ugly defeat at the hands of their in-state rival, this time falling 66-50 in Champaign. With the loss, the Wildcats dropped to 20-8, 9-6 Big Ten on the season and missed a golden opportunity to push their 2016-2017 campaign into unprecedented territory.
What would the victory have meant for Northwestern? With a 21st overall win, this team would have been the first in the program’s 113-year history to surpass the 20-win mark.