This is a transition time for Illini basketball. It’s a rebuilding year until reinforcements arrive next year. Two great recruits are coming in while three important transfers become eligible in 2014-15. This Illini basketball season is one in which very much is not really expected. However, Tuesday’s win at UNLV was exciting, and with it Illinois has now won its last eight non-conference road games – tied with UMass for the longest active non-conference road winning streak in college basketball. Illinois’ streak spans the last five-plus years, dating back to the 2008-09 campaign.
Illini basketball has one more true road game left this season before Big Ten play, playing at Georgia Tech next Tuesday. Here is a look at the Illini basketball current non-conference road winning streak:
Date Opponent Score
Nov. 20, 2008 at Vanderbilt W, 69-63
Dec. 2, 2009 at #18 Clemson W, 76-74 (Big Ten / ACC Challenge)
March 17, 2010 at Stony Brook W, 76-66 (NIT)
Nov. 27, 2010 at Western Michigan W, 78-63
Nov. 24, 2011 at Maryland W, 71-62
Nov. 16, 2012 at Hawaii W, 78-77 (OT)
Dec. 8, 2012 at #10 Gonzaga W, 85-74
Nov. 26, 2013 at UNLV W, 61-59
Here is a list of the top non-conference road winning streaks in NCAA Div. I:
Rk. School Streak Next
1. Illinois 8 Dec. 3 at Georgia Tech
Massachusetts 8 Dec. 3 at Eastern Michigan
3. Minnesota 7 none this season (Wait, what the Gophers play no road games in their nonconference)
4. DePaul 6 Dec. 22 at Illinois State (well, maybe this isn’t that much of an accomplishment if DePaul is actually on this list)
VCU 6 Dec. 1 at Belmont
By the way, no opponent has scored more than 63 points or shoot better than 40 percent against the Illini defense.
This is the first time that Illini basketball has held each of its first six opponents to 63 points or less since the 2006-07 UI squad also did so in the first six games.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS Catch him Tuesdays talking Illini and Northwestern for KOZN 1620 The Zone, Fridays talking Chicago Bears for WAOR 95.7 The Fan