This is one of the worst Illinois teams I have ever seen in my lifetime. That is a sad state of affairs considering the experience that was returning and the level of play in the conference this season.
Illinois returned two sixth-year seniors at two crucial positions of point guard and center. They also had another senior point guard and combo guard-forward in Malcolm Hill. The combination of these four players should have propelled the Illini to the postseason.
Now Illinois is looking for answers after a disappointing year and a fourth-straight missed NCAA Tournament. This might have been the worst time to have this type of a season for the Illini, though.