Stephen Cohn: Assuming Illinois Football does not qualify for a bowl game, this is it for me as an undergrad: If Illinois Basketball doesn’t make the the NCAA Tournament, I’m part of the first graduating class in god knows how long that didn’t see a bowl game or tourney bid. That’s insane. With that in mind, I guess I have some pretty excessive predictions. I thought I saw a really good Kipper in the exhibition — despite 1-for-10 shooting — and I love Trent/Ayo/Andres in the backcourt. That’s a team I’d watch. Illinois wasn’t tested last season like they will be this year, so maybe Underwood can pull out the stops to beat Georgetown, Gonzaga and Missouri.