A couple weeks ago, Friday night’s visit from the Michigan Wolverines looked like it might be the biggest Illini regular season game in a very long time. It was setting up to be the de facto Big Ten regular season title game, with a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament at stake. However, now Michigan is no longer #1, having suffered a loss at Duke.
But they have wrapped up the league title now, as they still have just the one loss in the league. The Illinois Fighting Illini have now lost three of their last five (all Big Ten games), and with that, their Big Ten title hopes are completely dashed.
#3 Michigan Wolverines at #10 Illinois Fighting Illini FYIs
Tip: Friday, February 27, 7pm, Assembly Hall, Champaign, IL, FOX
Metrics: Illinois Fighting Illini 22-6 (13-4), Net #1 KenPom #4 Michigan Wolverines Net #1 KenPom #1
ESPN Analytics Win Probability: Illinois Fighting Illini 50.5% Michigan Wolverines 49.5%
Projected Seed in March Madness: Illinois Fighting Illini #3 Michigan Wolverines #1
What’s No Longer at Stake
That said, this is still the biggest regular game of the year for the Illini, and there is a whole lot left to play for still in this one.
With Michigan coming to Champaign, for a “circle the date” kind of affair, this game was beginning to get reminiscent of the 2024 meeting in football.
Yes, the hype (albeit for very different reasons) was building up to the level of the Red Grange centennial, Memorial Stadium re-dedication game.
So much for that, as Michigan will now get the Big Ten regular season title, and with it, the Chicago regional for March Madness. And that is a bummer, because the St. Louis-Chicago-Indianapolis route to the Final Four would have been massive for Illinois.
Also, the opportunity to match 2004 vs Wake Forest and 2013 vs Indiana by getting a win over #1 is now gone.
What’s Still at Stake
The Illini are still in play for a #2 seed, but they need to take care of business in order to get it. Winning here would be a massive gain towards that cause. UCLA is the worst loss that Illinois has on the season, and they have lots of nice signature wins: Texas Tech, Tennessee, at Nebraska, at Purdue, Indiana.
Beating big blue would be bigger than all of those Ws however. This game is comparable in meaning to the Iowa Senior Day clash in 2021, or the visit from Purdue on MLK Day in 2022.
You also have the added motivation of facing…see the next item.
Lead Storyline: Morez Johnson Jr.
Back when the offseason began, Johnson was the last guy that anyone thought could leave the Illini. He’s from the SICA (real ones know what that means…former Stagg Charger here!), Riverdale, specifically, as he went to Thornton Township high school. He also committed to the Illini very early, and it was widely expected that he would spend all four years of his college career here.
Johnson is shooting a ridiculous 66.2% from the field which is good for 5th best in the nation.
He’s also second on the team in scoring and rebounding, but he’s only taken 16 3-pt field goal attempts all season long, making six of them.
We bring that up because, reportedly, this was a major reason why he transferred out of Illinois. He wanted to go to a team that would green light him to shoot more 3s, so he could improve his NBA Draft stock.
His first game at Illinois, as a member of the opposition, will be “spirited” to say the least. Let’s hope it doesn’t get ugly, with the crowd, like it did for Eric Gordon in 2007.
Other Players to Watch/Additional Storylines
The only Michigan player who has been scoring more points and grabbing more rebounds than Johnson this season is Yaxel Lendeborg. He’s got full on NBA Draft lottery potential, and he’s competing with Keaton Wagler to become the first Big Ten player taken on draft night in June.
Although Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz is not far behind.
Kansas’ Darryn Peterson will likely go first overall, and RG has a story on why that is.
Michigan center Aday Mara projects as a first rounder, while Johnson looks like a late first round, to early second round prospect right now.
Roddy Gayle has been disappointing this season, as he’s taken on a role that is smaller than had been expected in the preseason. Looking back on it, his selection as a Big Ten Media Day player representative is comparable to Ben Humrichous for Illinois.
Elliott Cadeau is not a bonafide NBA Draft prospect at this point, but he’s a very VERY good collegiate point guard.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.