It’s been a long journey for every college student since March. Thought to be unimaginable, universities all across the country sent home their students for good in mid-March, forcing all students to finish classes up back in their hometowns. After months of quarantine, it appears we are finally returning back to college — albeit it’ll be anything but normal. For international students, they’ll be mandated to quarantine for two weeks upon coming back, which could be taxing. However, a guide of the greatest Illini games to watch can help past the time along. 

2020 Iowa vs Illinois, Senior Day, Men’s Basketball

Coming off of a tough loss to Ohio State that all but ended their Big Ten title hopes, the Illini headed back to Champaign to take on their budding rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes. Although Iowa won the first game of the series earlier in the season, head coach Brad Underwood got his kids ready to play, storming out to a comfortable double-digit lead. However, All-American Luka Garza and his Hawkeyes wouldn’t go down without a fight, cutting the lead substantially while pressed against time. In the end, Illini point guard Ayo Dosunmu came up clutch once again in potentially his last game ever with the Orange and Blue. In what ended up being the last game of the season due to the coronavirus, this game will give a nice nostalgic boost to Illini alumni all across the globe. 

2013 Indiana vs Illinois, Men’s Basketball

Indiana came down to Champaign in the midst of their best season in recent history. Ranked number one in the nation, the Hoosiers steamrolled through the regular season behind center Cody Zeller and future NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo. John Groce and his players had other plans in mind. 

Illinois crawled back from a twelve-point halftime deficit to make it anyone’s ballgame in the final minutes with an increased focus on forcing turnovers. And behind the heroics of Illinois’ senior forward Tyler Murphy in-bound pass layup with no time left, the Illini stunned the Hoosiers and got their season back on track. 

The Illini would end up winning five out of their next six games, propelling them to the NCAA tournament, which ended up being their only appearance under John Groce. Although the game didn’t change the course of the program, it showed the Illini program has the goods to play with any team in the nation. 

2018 Illinois vs Wisconsin, Elite 8, Volleyball

Going into the NCAA tournament, the Illini volleyball team dominated their opponents, securing a 28-3 record in the regular season. Having secured home-court advantage throughout the first four rounds of the tournament, Illini continued to find success, easily defeating Eastern Michigan, Louisville and Marquette heading into the Elite 8. Their opponent waiting for them: Big Ten rival Wisconsin, one of the only three teams that beat them that season. 

Despite having the home crowd noise, the Illini split the first two sets with the Badgers, needing two more wins to secure a spot in the Final Four. With the Badgers proving they were the toughest test the Illini had faced in a while, 6’2” outside hitter Jacqueline Quade stepped up big with 25 kills, holding off Wisconsin in the final two sets by just a combined five points to secure a spot in the Final Four.  

2019 Illinois vs Michigan State, Football

Just a victory away from securing bowl eligibility, Illinois came into this November Big Ten battle on fire with three victories in a row, including its monumental upset against the No.6 Badgers just a month prior. The Spartans, on the other hand, came in reeling after losing three consecutive games by a combined score of 100-17. After watching the first half, no one would have ever guessed that. 

The Spartans jumped out to a commanding 28-3 in the first half, and it appeared Lovie Smith’s luck had run out. But the Spartans’ quarterback Brian Lewerke kept the Illini in the game by throwing two half interceptions. Combine that with Illini quarterback Brandon Peters throwing a successful long touchdown pass before the half ended, the Illini were back in the game. 

In what might be one of the wildest fourth quarters in Illini history, Illinois came back to stun the Spartans in East Lansing, securing its first bowl bid since 2014. Although this ended up being Illinois’ last victory of the season, the team showed its fans that Lovie Smith’s rebuilding project was working while setting up a potentially exciting 2020 season. 

I know being quarantined is not ideal. But I do hope being able to rewatch some of Illinois’ classic games can help kill the time if you get bored rewatching the same shows on Netflix. And hopefully, you’ll be able to watch live Illinois games if the conditions are safe for the student-athletes. 

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