After two weeks off from competitive play, the Illini are back for some action with a game against the Missouri State Lady Bears on Thursday. This matchup, along with many others, marks the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, a newly implemented tournament run by the NCAA to provide more postseason opportunities to programs that missed out on the Big Dance.
Illinois is listed as a No. 4 seed in the tournament and holds a home-court advantage at the State Farm Center. Missouri State holds a 23-9 record, and tomorrow’s game will be the fourth matchup between the Lady Bears and the Illini.
The last time Illinois competed in Champaign was in an intense senior day matchup against Nebraska, which secured a spot as the No. 6 seed in the women’s NCAA March Madness tournament. In a hectic series of events, the Illini finished with a victory of 74-73 over the Cornhuskers, concluding their regular season with a record of 14-14.
Illinois did not last long in the women’s Big Ten tournament. The team finished 10 points behind Maryland, pushing it to 14-15 overall. The Illini look to start strong in the WBIT, hoping to make up for their Big Ten tournament defeat.
“Obviously, our goal is always the NCAA tournament,” said head coach Shauna Green. “This is part of the stepping stone and this tournament, I’m really excited about now that it’s sponsored by the NCAA, it’s gonna be run really well … I think we’ve been playing really good basketball as of late, so more opportunity for us to continue to get better and build this program, which is what it’s about.”
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The Illini needed a second to take a deep breath and process all the excitement and hardships from the regular season. Despite a tough loss to the Terrapins to close out their endeavors in the Big Ten tournament, the Illini continued to come together and work extra hard for a postseason opportunity like this.
“I can’t wait, and our team is really excited,” Green said. “Even our past week, our practice has been super energized, and there’s a lot of positive vibes and great energy, so I’m glad that they’re excited to continue to play.”
A new tournament means more chances to succeed and show off all the Illini have to offer. Hoping to get another win under its belt, the team will kick off its WBIT journey at 6 p.m. at the State Farm Center.
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