Corn Nation Interrogates the Champaign Room

Today we learn more about the team from the Land of Lincoln

It might seem a little early but Nebraska starts their conference games this Sunday. The Illini come to town with a 2-5 record and a second year head coach. We reached out to SB Nation sister site The Champaign Room for some insight into this years team. Lucky for us they sent us Austin Jabs who has done a great job answering our questions.

Corn Naiton: What were the expectations of Illinois going into coach Brad Underwood’s second season from the fan base and those around the program? Is the rebuild going well and will we see a big improvement later this season or next?

Austin Jabs: I think many fans, myself included, have had mixed expectations. We ultimately judge a season based on gaining entry to the NCAA Tournament. That is the over arching barometer for success, right or wrong. I truly believe that this team had the potential to make the dance, but that required wins against teams on the same level as them (Georgetown, Xavier, Notre Dame, even Iowa State in Maui). With those four games coming up empty, Illinois has placed themselves behind a wall early in the season. With the talent Underwood has brought in, the rebuild is going as well as could be expected for a team that has missed out on the dance since the 2012-2013 season. The talented freshmen this team has in Ayo Dosumnu, Georgi Bezhanishvilli, Alan Griffin, Tevian Jones, and Samba Kane will go a long way to building on future success. For now, it has been some growing pains as these athletes learn the college game. I think by late season this team will be one that nobody wants to face, which I know is a cliche thing to say. Looking at the Gonzaga game, a game Illinois almost won, Illinois has shown they have the potential to compete with anyone in the country, just not every single night.