No. 10 Illinois (22-6, 13-4) has the potential to be a Final Four team, but three overtime losses in the last month have done some damage to that hope, at least from an outsiders perspective and seeding metrics. Amongst the team though, the aspirations are still to win a national championship, as they have been all season. However, there needs to be some changes, and a 1-point overtime loss at UCLA (19-9, 11-6) on Saturday made that crystal clear.
“We are plenty good enough,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “And you know, we can’t do anything about the injuries and and the losses we’ve had when we haven’t been whole. But the missed free throws and the defensive rebounding, that’s the stuff that just burns my rear end.”
Against the Bruins, a 23-point lead in the first half quickly disappeared after the Illini stopped making shots. However, don’t confuse misses for causing the loss. A lack of defensive energy, which allowed UCLA to get easy buckets, was equally as deadly. Even with lapses on both ends, Illinois kept the score close.
However, had the Illini defense been more intentional and focused when shots were not falling, a disheartening loss would not have been the outcome of what was a winnable game. The Illini attribute their defensive decline to a false overconfidence in their early game success. In such a talented league like the Big Ten, even teams like UCLA that are undergoing hard times will take quick advantage of continuous mental lapses.
“We just lost focus when we went on that run, got up that big, you know we thought maybe we started coasting and were like, ‘Ok we can cruise and just beat this team,’ but that’s not what happened,” said freshman guard Keaton Wagler. “We needed to stay focused on the defensive end, continue to get stops, rebound. That’s what really what led to our run getting out and getting on offense. Defense is what led to offense.”
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Winning is hard, and it cannot happen without almost 40 minutes of focus. But in March? That’s a whole new level. Last year’s Illini roster was more streaky than this year’s team, and they bowed out in the second round of March Madness. Come tournament time this season, if the Illini stray from their principles, then they could face the same fate. The hope is that the loss in Los Angeles lights a fire in the bellies of the Illini, just weeks away from postseason play.
“It’s a tough loss, but the only one gets much tougher than this is the one that happens in the NCAA tournament and then your season’s over,” Underwood said. “And that’s what we have to take from this one.”
The Illini are not satisfied, and the fans are frustrated, which is understandable. There is a determination from within the program to not let this weekend’s loss and the resulting disappointment be the legacy of the season.
“It creates a sense of urgency, but also this game isn’t going to define our season,” Wagler said. “We are trying to win every regular season game, but we’re not worried about this. We’re worried about March Madness. We want to win championships, stuff like that. This won’t define our season. This is just a good learning point for us to get in watch film and learn how we can get better.”
Wagler has been spectacular as a freshman, and he will continue to be a key piece that Illinois will need if it hopes to move forward, close out the regular season on a high note and be successful in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. However, the Illini’s large contingent of veterans need to step up if they haven’t yet and find a way to give the next few weeks everything they’ve got.
Graduate student forward Ben Humrichous, who has been one of the more steady presences for Illinois during Big Ten play, brought his always mature perspective to the table after falling to UCLA. Yes, the Illini need to learn from the loss and their unforced errors, but dwelling on it is not the right course of action. They need to approach what remains of their schedule with an intense level of focus, unsullied by the ghosts of previous results.
“Continuing to push the standard, continuing to help guys show up every day, work incredibly hard,” Humrichous said about his focus as a veteran as the season wanes. “Continuing to push what’s important for our team and their success moving forward. I mean, just helping the team move on from this, learn from this, but have the same focus that we need heading into the next games and heading into the tournaments that we have ahead with the focus we need to win.”
With a couple days off after their LA trip and then a few days of practice before playing No. 3 Michigan (26-2, 16-1) on Friday, Illinois has time to regroup. Outside of just on-court principles, coming together with a determined team mindset will be key ahead of one of the most highly anticipated games of the season.
“I want to see us stick together,” Humrichous said. “We’re a really good basketball team. A team that when we guard and rebound, we are elite. So I want to see a team that’s able to stick together, a team that’s able to put an arm around a brother the way that we have all year through all the hard moments.”
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