Illinois Basketball: Reliving Two Program Changing Wins

Illinois Basketball: Reliving Two Home Games Against Iowa

Illinois Basketball needs good vibes. Though it is not over, the RayJ Dennis ship seems to be sailing in the opposite direction. Coleman Hawkins is doing great in his NBA Draft pursuit, however this leaves Illinois with a gaping hole on its roster. The pressure is starting to mount on Brad Underwood. Though he owns the best record in conference play the past four years, the fanbase’s angst continues to rise. There have been 3 straight seasons of being blown out before the Sweet 16. They lost many pieces to the transfer portal this past year, and schools are starting to recruit against the fact that Brad Underwood is “hard to play for”.

I do not agree with these takes. Brad Underwood has been great in his time at Illinois, however one point remains. I do not think the fanbase could handle a “down year”. The seat is not hot for coach Underwood, however the fanbase will be after his neck if the season does not go well. I wanted to revisit two great home games against the Iowa Hawkeyes that remind me of how far we have come in the past decade.

3/8/20: 78-76 Win At Home.

This game was special for a few reasons. After winning this game against Iowa, Illinois clinched a top 4 finish in the conference in quite some time. After years of mediocrity under John Groce, this was the game that stamped the fact that Illinois Basketball is back. Illinois won 5 of their last 6 games, and beat Iowa in front of a massive senior day crowd.

Additionally, this was the last time that Ayo Dosunmu played in front of a crowd at State Farm Center. Though the pandemic has thankfully subsided, this was that “last game before COVID”. Besides that, who could forget Kofi Cockburn’s block at the last second on Luka Garza? How about when Brad signed the cutout of Fran McCaffery?

Watching old Illini games for no reason: Forgot how awesome this game vs Iowa was. Last game before COVID, last time Ayo played in front of a crowd at State Farm… good times pic.twitter.com/nsBt3tj6fh

— Armchair Illinois (@ArmchairIllini) December 28, 2022

3/6/22: 74-72 Win at Home:

This is the game that most will remember. I specifically remember this day because we initially thought we would not have a chance to win the conference. However, Fred Hoiberg came through for us. Hoiberg and Nebraska beat Wisconsin in Madison to gift Illinois the chance to win a share of the Big Ten. Illinois fans had seen this movie. Something happens to go our way and gives us hope, and Illinois is unable to pull through. It did seem that way, as Illinois came out tight. They dropped to a double-digit lead, however were spurred by Andre Curbelo.

Curbelo changed the game with his playmaking and defense. At the very end, Kris Murray had a wide-open shot to win the game. However, Murray missed and missed some key free throws which allows Illinois Basketball to win a share of the conference. What a moment.