No. 13 Illini Defeat Texas-Rio Grande Valley

STATE FARM CENTER– No. 13 Illinois defeated 2-4 Texas-Rio Grande Valley last night with a score of 87-73. Nearly a week ago, the Illini ran into their first power match up of the year, where they suffered a loss to No. 8 Alabama. After defeating the Vaqueros last night, the Illini will have to go against two power match ups… No. 5 Dan Hurley and UConn and No. 17 Tennessee. Both of these games will be an early set of “prove it” games to see where Illinois truly stands amongst the best talent in the country. Consider these next two games the most important of the season. Let’s take a deeper look at what two wins against two top-ranked opponents could mean for the Illini. But first, here is a recap of last night’s game. 

Not the prettiest games of all time, especially coming against an underwhelming Vaqueros team… but the Illini got the job done. Andrej Stojakovic led last night in scoring with 24 points over 31 minutes. Keaton Wagler and Ben Humrichous led last night in rebounds, both tallying 8. 

As for the rest of the game, the Illini showed consistent scoring throughout the game, just nothing overpowering. An 87 point total, which is considered underwhelming for the team overall. This point total comes in as their 4th highest of the season out of 7 games. They managed 86 points against Alabama, yet only 87 against a lesser team in UTRGV. 

This may make you wonder, is this offense legit? No need to wonder or ponder, the 13th ranked team in the country has one of the most electric offenses. Last night’s game proves that. You may ask how…Nearly 7 men on the team had over 20 minutes of play time, while 9 men had 10 minutes or more. That speaks to the volume and depth that this team has. Rightfully so, Coach Brad Underwood utilized his men to get some action last night and build the team chemistry so each player can trust one another. 

That’s why these games against “lower level talent” are so important. It allows for super teams like Illinois to be able to get the bench involved and allow the starters to work with one another to build trust in each and every player on the court. 

FUTURE OF THE ILLINI

Now let’s dive into the next two games. 

First up with UConn- After losing in the second round last year, UConn has committed themselves to reaching their final destination once again… the national championship and reclaiming that glory. UConn has already gone up against some tough match ups, they lost to No. 2 Arizona and narrowly beat No. 9 BYU. So playing one more ranked match up than Illinois may be to their benefit, and we know head coach, Dan Hurley, loves a challenge. 

In this case the challenge will be for the Illini, as they enter this match up as the underdogs. Rightfully so, but if we see an incredible game from Andrej Stojakovic, and the rest of the team can perform around him, UConn may be on upset alert. If that’s the case,the rankings may shake up greatly, with UConn losing their second ranked match up out of 3, this time losing as the favorite. For Illinois, if they come out with a win they will jolt up a space or two… which will then be challenged consecutively with their next game against No. 17 Tennessee just a week later. 

The best case scenario for the Illini, is to obviously win two games. Worst case being they lose both, and now they go 0-3 against ranked teams which could very likely push them either out of the top 25, or right on the cusp. 

Tonight, Tennessee faces No. 3 Houston who knocked them out in the Elite Eight last year. This will be the Volunteers first ranked match up this year, and it will be a big one as they seek revenge. 

The most realistic scenario is that the Illini only come away with one victory over these next two games. Obviously if they won over UConn, and then lost to Tennessee their ranking would stay about the same. Also vice versa, losing to UConn and winning over Tennessee they should see no movement. But taking home both games would jolt them immensely. 

One thing that is for sure, they do not want to lose both of these games. It is key that Coach Underwood and his starting 5 are on point. These next two games give us a little glimpse of what March Madness will look like. This is an early-on feel for how this team really handles the pressure when facing the best of the best.