INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Back at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time in one year, Northwestern found itself playing a familiar foe. Two weeks ago, the sluggish ‘Cats squeaked by Illinois in a 67-61 win that didn’t bolster much confidence heading into the postseason. The ‘Cats fell behind 18-4 early in Champaign before recovering but struggling to fully quash the Illini.
Wednesday’s second round Big Ten Tournament matchup was a different story. Both teams struggled to score early in the first quarter, but Northwestern asserted its defense and used one of its most impressive quarters in recent memory to blow past Illinois 67-42, the program’s largest margin of victory in a Big Ten Tournament game by 15 points.