It may not be tournament time just yet, but a few Big Ten courts have been rushed by rabid fans lately.

While the elite teams are gearing up for the postseason, it’s upset season for the squads without much else to play for, and the Illinois men’s basketball team will have a chance to continue a conference trend Thursday night.

Last week saw two major upsets in the Big Ten. On Wednesday, Penn State pulled off a 79-75 win over No. 4 Iowa — the Nittany Lions had lost five of their previous six contests before the win.

The next night, the even more improbable happened when Minnesota, previously winless in Big Ten play, knocked off No. 6 Maryland. Two nights, two postgame court rushes.

Illinois (12-15, 4-10 Big Ten) will have the opportunity to pull off another Big Ten upset when Indiana (22-6, 12-2) comes to town for the teams’ second bout — and considering the lopsided results of their first meeting, a narrow Illini victory would almost guarantee a half court invasion by the home fans.

“Well-done is better than well-said,” Groce said of his team’s chances against Indiana. “We need to go out and play the right way.”

Since the 34-point drubbing Indiana handed Illinois at the end of January, plenty has changed. In that game, center Mike Thorne, Jr. made his short-lived return and struggled — he hasn’t played since.

Junior Jaylon Tate started and logged 24 minutes, neither of which he’s done in the past five games. Junior center Maverick Morgan and freshman forward D.J. Williams combined for nine total minutes in Bloomington and have since turned into key rotational pieces.

Groce said he is optimistic about how the Illini have played over their past three games and believes they have improved vastly since their first meeting with the Hoosiers.

“There’s no question we’re better on both ends of the floor than the last time we played them,” Groce said. “It’s going to take a great effort by our guys — great concentration, great attention to detail — to defend them and then make sure we’re having quality offensive possessions on the other end of the floor.”

The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in made threes and points per game — their 83.7 points per game overall is good for 12th in the nation. Senior Yogi Ferrell is the clear-cut team leader and demands defensive attention on every possession.

The prolific point guard leads the Big Ten with 504 points produced — a combination of scoring and assists — but is in the midst of a seven-game stretch of sub 20-point games. He has tallied at least four assists in all but four Big Ten games.

On the other end, junior captain Malcolm Hill will try to match Ferrell’s pace and lead the Illini offense with similar prowess. The dynamic forward has been on a torrid stretch, averaging 19 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.4 turnovers per contest in his past five games.

Groce recognized the Illini will need to play close to perfect in order to pull out a win Thursday — and a victory over one of Illinois’ fiercest rivals could very well outshine the darkness this season has produced to this point.

“I want them locked in,” Groce said. “I tell them to keep swinging the hammer every day. Keep swinging that thing.”

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