Illinois Basketball: Illini Already in Tournament Mode as Season Nears End

The madness of college basketball is typically reserved for the month of March, but in the case of the Illinois Fighting Illini, it came a month early.

With just five games remaining, Illinois sits at 17-9 (7-6 in the Big Ten Conference) and is currently projected by most experts as one of the final teams to make the tournament. What this means is that with every game its position could change, and any loss could put it on the outside looking in when Selection Sunday arrives on March 15.

In other words, the Illini are already in tournament mode. Any win in the final five games moves them closer to solidifying a spot in the tournament, and any loss could move them out. However, the Illini have already had to battle hard just to get into position to be in position to get in the NCAA tournament.

That makes sense, right?

It does if you realize what they've had to do in recent weeks. After starting the season 6-0 in November, the Illini then went just 8-8 during an up and down December and January. They seemed to be struggling to find their identity during that time, as they could not close out games and suffered some losses because of it. Add to that the injury to leading scorer and rebounder Rayvonte Rice and  the injury to Aaron Cosby, and things were certainly headed in the wrong direction.

After the loss at Minnesota on January 24, Illinois sat at 13-8 (3-5) and faced an uphill battle heading into February. At this point, it seemed like the team's season and tournament hopes may have been slipping away. 

After a week off to refresh, the Illini were looking to get back on track, hopeful for the possible return of both injured players to help jump-start the team. Then came the news that both players had been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. 

That could have been the nail in the coffin.

Instead the Illini regrouped and finished January with a narrow win over Penn State, which started a four-game winning streak that put them right back into the tournament picture. The winning streak was halted by a very talented Wisconsin team last Sunday, but that loss does not hurt them in the big picture.

Rice has also returned, which will hopefully give the team an extra boost down the stretch.

So here we are. Five games remaining and this Illini team needs three wins to get to the 20-win mark overall and the 10-win mark in the Big Ten, which more than likely puts it into the tournament. What's nice is that of its final five games, Illinois will play three of them at home, where they are 12-1 on the season.

The final stretch will begin on Sunday against a Michigan State team looking for payback for the 59-54 loss that the Illini handed them in East Lansing a couple of weeks ago. Ever since that loss, the Spartans seem to be playing more inspired basketball, as you would expect with a Tom Izzo team. 

This now becomes the game of the year for Illinois. If it can take down Sparty again, it will be in great position. That would leave Illinois with two home games against Nebraska and Northwestern, both teams that it should be able to handle at home.

The final two road games will be at Iowa and at Purdue, which are both teams that are fighting to get into the tournament. These will both be tough games, but certainly not games that Illinois can't win. However, if it can hold serve at home, it may not matter if the Illini win either of these games.

The team is currently in the middle of its second off week. It couldn't have come at a better time. The last time Illinois had a week off, they came back and started a four-game win streak. If that happens again, Illini fans will be very happy come Selection Sunday.

March is creeping closer, which means it's time to win or go home.