Conor Blount

Between hiring head coach Evan Clark in 2016 and the start of the 2019-20 season, Illinois went 52-31. This stretch included a 22-win season in 2017-18, tied for the best in program history. However, after a pair of COVID-derailed seasons with a combined record of 14-18, Illinois needed to find its way back to winning. Change started off of the court, with Illinois recruiting the No. 24 class in the nation.

In a season where No. 42 Illinois (14-12, 8-5) earned 1-1 splits in five of its seven weekends of Big Ten play, it was only fitting that it did the same in the Big Ten tournament. In the first round, No. 7 seed Illinois swept No. 10 seed Northwestern (13-13, 6-7). The victory moved Illinois to 3-0 against Northwestern this season and also marked its seventh straight win over the in-state rival.

For five straight weeks of Big Ten play, No. 42 Illinois (14-11, 8-5) split its pair of weekend matches. However, the Illini finally broke out of their cycle and won three straight matches to close out the regular season. Last weekend, Illinois swept Indiana (8-15, 2-11) and No. 68 Purdue (11-9, 5-8) without surrendering a point. The new 12-team Big Ten tournament is up next for Illinois, followed by a potential invitation to the NCAA tournament.