GOD We Needed That

The losing streak to Purdue. The failures late in games this season. All of the injuries and illnesses. The embarrassment at Madison Square Garden. It has not been smooth sailing for the Fighting Illini this season (have you heard?), so this win was sorely needed.

I'll even say that the way the game played out – a 16-3 Illini run in the final 2:38 to turn a 77-72 deficit into an 88-80 win – was NEEDED. When Purdue pushed out to that ten point lead midway through the second half, you could hear a pin drop in the State Farm Center. 15,544 people all having the same "here we go again" reaction. And then, in the final 2:38, some of the loudest moments of the season.