Illinois is calling Minnesota the new Penn St. This of course refers to the upset last year in Champaign where Illinois blew a huge lead to the Nittany Lions and lost a game that might have cost them the regular season championship and a top three seed in the NCAA tournament. This year's situation is a little different, as Illinois is struggling just to get to .500 in conference play. But the following stretch could put them on the right side of the bubble for the NCAA tournament. It all starts tomorrow against Minnesota.The big keys in the game are going to be continuing to go inside and the driving ability of the guards. With Chester Fraizer finding a little bit of range with the mid-range jumper, Illinois gains another dimension that could help them all the way down the stretch and take the pressure off their outside shooters. But the inside game needs to remain excellent in the scoring column and the rebounding column.Last time out against the Gophers, Illinois used offensive rebounding in the first half to open up a huge lead that they were able to hang onto through the entire game.
Minnesota is coming off two straight conference victories against Penn St. and Northwestern. In their three conference wins this season, Minnesota has average 9.3 three pointers per game. Not bad for a team that ranks last in the Big Ten in offense. The Gophers will be attempting to snap a 16 game losing streak to the Illini. The Gophers are definitely playing with a little shot of energy after their two victories and will be dangerous coming into Champaign.
This time around, I think the Illini are ready for a team that comes in looking to knock them off at a critical point of the season. The Illini know that an NIT birth means all road games (NCAA Ruling on the Chief) so they better win the home games while they've got them.
Illinois - 65
Minnesota - 50
Game Time - 7 p.m.
Television - ESPN Full Court
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