With Selection Monday a week away, the Illinois women’s basketball team must wait.
The Illini, once considered as high as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament, added another bad loss to its resume Thursday, clouding Illinois’ once-bright tournament hopes.
Thursday’s upset in the Big Ten Tournament at the hands of Wisconsin added to Illinois’ recent woes. Since a 60-53 home win over the Badgers on Feb. 18, the Illini have lost four of their last five games, including three straight.
The late slide could come back to haunt the Illini, who are competing with three other conference teams for a bid to the Big Dance. The Big Ten received seven bids to the tournament last season, and the conference improved from No. 6 in the RPI to No. 2. The Big Ten will likely receive seven bids again.
Assuming the selection committee chooses seven Big Ten teams, the Illini will battle Iowa, Ohio State and Minnesota for the final two spots after Penn State, Nebraska, Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan have locked up tournament bids. Illinois touts wins over the other three Big Ten bubble teams, though the Buckeyes beat the Illini on Feb. 28.
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Illinois also finished ahead of all three in the conference’s final standings.
“For us to finish tied for fifth in the RPI, tied for fifth in the conference, to me, we should be in because of quality wins,” head coach Matt Bollant said.
The quality wins Bollant speaks of — against then-No. 6 Georgia, then-No. 24 Iowa and Nebraska — were all in late December or January. The selection committee, however, is likely to look at the team’s full body of work, which would include Illinois’ late-season slide.
The full body of work would also include Illinois’ 7-6 nonconference record, wh ich includes bad losses to Illinois State and Bradley, though those losses came without senior guard Adrienne GodBold in the lineup because of academic ineligibility. Bollant, whose squad has gone 10-8 since the senior’s return, said he has made sure the committee knows the Illini are a different team with GodBold.
Looking at the full body of work, espnW bracketologist Charlie Creme currently has Illinois on the outside looking in of the tournament.
If Illinois were to make the tournament, it would be the first time since 2003. Illinois last made the WNIT in 2010. Though the team must wait for a final postseason decision, it knows it will play another game, whether it be in the NCAA tournament or the WNIT.
“I don’t make those decisions,” Bollant said. “(I need to) have our team ready for the postseason.”
Johnathan can be reached at [email protected] and @jhett93.
