CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — That’s not why Nicholls State is on the schedule.
In its season opener, Illinois barely survived the Colonels in overtime, 78-70, at the State Farm Center in Champaign on Tuesday night.
The competition doesn’t get any easier with tests against Grand Canyon and Arizona looming, but the Illini did just enough to pull out the win at home despite a far from stellar performance.
Neither team looked particularly ready to play at tip. Illinois and Nicholls State combined for 20 first-half turnovers and a measly 34 percent from the field. The Illini struggled with Nicholls State’s fullcourt ball pressure, keeping them from establishing any sort of rhythm offensively.