CHAMPAIGN — Expectations are hard to form with the current Illinois men's basketball team.
The Illini go from nearly knocking off then-No. 3 Gonzaga to slogging through losses with Iowa State and Xavier.
They jump from narrowly missing a win at Notre Dame to losing by double-digits at Nebraska.
So fans could expect only one thing when Brad Underwood's crew hosted UNLV last Saturday.
The unexpected.
That's exactly what they got when junior guard Andres Feliz and 7-foot freshman big man Samba Kane played critical roles in a 77-74 victory that snapped a three-game losing streak for Illinois (3-7).