Illinois Bounces Iowa Out Of Big Ten Tourney

The Sports Illustrated cover, that #3 ranking, the season sweeps of Michigan State and Purdue... it's starting to look like that was all just a mirage.  I don't know what team was accomplishing those feats, but it's surely not this bunch.  The Iowa Hawkeyes are one-and-done in the 2016 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, falling to the Illinois Fighting Illini, 68-66.  Yes, frickin' Illinois!  The Illini came into Thursday's match-up with a 14-18 record.

I feel like an idiot.  There was a time that I thought, why not?  Why can't this team make a run in March (and early April) and compete for a national championship?  Yes, a few short weeks ago the Hawkeyes were flying high.  They were on pace to finish atop the Big Ten regular season standings and potentially grab a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  Then they limped to the finish line, winning only 2 of their final 7 regular season games.  Getting bounced by the Illini is only the latest turd in the stool (that's Shakespearean, is it not?)

Fran, you need to figure out how to win in February and March! This looks awfully familiar to that 2014 collapse when the Hawks lost 7 out of their final 8 games.

 

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