We’ve seen it – and said it – all season: Illinois, now 20-11 overall and 12-8 in the Big Ten after Friday’s 88-80 regular-season-closing home win over No. 18 Purdue, has virtually unlimited potential.

Youth and injuries and illness and occasional bouts of boneheadedness have kept the Illini from always demonstrating it, but that’s the thing about potential, right? It isn’t always fulfilled.

Even on Friday, the Illini at times seemed determined to fritter away their best chances to secure a 20-win season, build a legit win streak (three in a row!) and enter the Big Ten Tournament with the kind of momentum that could carry them to a Sunday final, a favorable NCAA Tournament seed and a lightning-in-a-bottle run toward San Antonio and the Final Four.

At least two prominent college hoops pundits – Seth Davis and Jimmy Dykes – saw enough from the Illini against the Boilers (and perhaps in 20-point wins over Iowa at home and then-No. 15 Michigan in Ann Arbor) to climb aboard the Illinois bandwagon:

Ceiling. Upside. Potential. Call it whatever you want, but on Friday the young Illini were tested by last year’s Big Ten regular-season champs and 2024-25 preseason conference favorites – coached by one of the best in the biz in Matt Painter – and couldn’t have responded with more poise and maturity.

Will Riley, Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic proved they were ready. Tre White showed he was healthy and hitting his stride. What’s next? Could it be – go ahead and hold your breath, Illini fans – the return of Morez Johnson Jr.?

Poise, maturity, momentum, health, depth, timing. Combine all of that with Illinois’ next-level talent, and you also have one helluva dangerous dark horse entering the games that matter in March.

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