Originally I had pegged the first four games of the Big Ten Conference schedule as crucial for the path the rest of the season will take. Illinois needed to win two of the first four to be on the right path to the NCAA Tournament.
They failed to win two games and things were looking bleak when they dropped their first three games. That was until last night. When the Illini beat Purdue in the fashion they did, things changed in a good way.
Despite only winning one of their first four Big Ten games, I think Illinois is still in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth.