Upon further review | No. 5 Maryland 73, Illinois 58
Mar. 4—What happened
Illinois couldn't slow down arguably the hottest team in the Big Ten right now on Friday night in the last quarterfinal game of the Big Ten tournament at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Maryland's length and ability to effortlessly switch across the board on defense bothered the Illini from the two-minute mark of the first quarter onward, with Illinois trailing by double digits for most of the night against the fifth-ranked Terrapins. Illinois actually started well, thanks to Makira Cook. But maintaining that for 40 minutes was again the problem, as the Terrapins put a damper on the Illini's first Big Ten tournament quarterfinal game since 2011.
What it means
For all the success first-year coach has brought to Champaign this winter — and it's been a lot for a success-starved program the past two decades — Illinois still isn't quite on the same level as the upper-tier teams in the Big Ten. Yes, the Illini did knock off Iowa on New Year's Day at State Farm Center. But that was the exception to the rule. Illinois went a collective 0-6 against the remaining top-five teams in the Big Ten (Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State and Michigan). Room to grow for Green's program, but still, an impressive first season in a new era with more meaningful March basketball still likely to be played.
What's next
Practices and recruiting until the most-anticipated NCAA tournament announcement for the Illini program happens in less than two weeks. The 22-9 record Illinois has put together the past four months should earn the Illini its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2003. The Illini entered the Big Ten tournament projected anywhere from a No. 8 through No. 10 seed. Illinois, which was 40th in the NET rankings as of Friday morning, won't find out its postseason fate for another nine days, with the NCAA women's basketball Selection Show set for 7 p.m. on March 12 on ESPN. Get ready to speculate about where the Illini wind up in the 68-team field.
