CHAMPAIGN — The first two months of the college basketball season had a little bit of everything for Illinois. Or when it comes to travel ... a lot of it with trips to Maui and South Bend, Ind., and Lincoln, Neb., and Chicago and St. Louis.
The Illini went 5-1 at State Farm Center, beating five mid- or low-major teams and losing to Georgetown. They almost knocked off a top-three Gonzaga team in Hawaii before finishing 0-3 at the Maui Invitational. Add in two Big Ten losses and the first Braggin' Rights defeat since 2012, and the first two months of the season reflected exactly what coach Brad Underwood said they were.