ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Driving back to Champaign-Urbana on Sunday afternoon, the Illinois men's tennis team could reflect on the Big Ten tournament championship match it contested earlier in the day against Ohio State.
But only for a brief moment. The NCAA tournament selection pairings come out Monday evening, with Illinois in prime position to clinch its 24th straight NCAA tournament appearance.
Even though the 15th-ranked Illini lost 4-1 to top-ranked Ohio State at Michigan's Varsity Tennis Center on Sunday, giving the Buckeyes their fourth straight conference tournament title and denying Illinois a chance at the program's first Big Ten hardware since the Illini won it in 2015.