One team is holding down the bottom of the Big Ten still winless through the first quarter of conference play. It's a spot Illinois claimed as its own after Thursday's loss to then similarly winless Iowa where a 20-point lead with 4 minutes to play in the first half turned into an overtime defeat.
The Illini are back on the road again for the third time in four games (soon to be four times in five games come Friday's trip to Wisconsin), and the challenge doesn't exactly lessen with an 8 p.m. tipoff against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers — with three Big Ten wins — certainly have a leg up on Illinois.