Illinois' season is rapidly spiraling downward, an all-too-familiar feeling around Champaign in recent years, and the question now is whether the once 12-0 Fighting Illini will even make the NCAA tournament.
Obviously, there's still a lot of basketball to be played, but that may not be a good thing for Illinois. John Groce's club is suddenly getting torched from 3-point land, is losers of five of its last seven games and is 1-4 in Big Ten play.
Eamonn Brennan provides some telling stats: "Since Big Ten play began, they are shooting just 23.4 percent from 3, worst of any team in the league. Their league opponents are shooting 42 percent, the second-best mark against any one team in the league. If you're a team that shoots the sixth-most 3s per field goals in the country (as the Illini do), and you start shooting 30 percent and your opponents start knocking everything down, your seams are going to rip. Throw in the hours of tape Big Ten coaches have now amassed on this team, and it's no wonder the Illini have been exposed."
So will Illinois be in or out come March? Right now, ESPN's resident bracketologist Joe Lunardi has them playing in a play-in game, but unless things turn around fast (and Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota make up five of their next six opponents, so it won't be easy) the Illini are in position to miss the Big Dance even after their big wins over Gonzaga, Butler and Ohio State.
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