CHICAGO — The Illinois locker room was a somber one late Thursday night at the United Center. An open locker room — mandatory at the Big Ten tournament in contrast to the Illini’s regular season operations — provided an unvarnished glimpse into the Illinois’ players state of mind after the 83-62 season-ending loss to Iowa in the teams’ second round matchup.
Aaron Jordan sat at his locker with the epitome of a thousand-yard stare. The Illini senior had played the final game of his career. Jordan’s demeanor was matched by his teammates.
There was the pall of a season ended too soon for Illinois’ liking.