sportsjabber.net

Even if you take at face value how much the Illini are trying to win the NIT, their second half performance against Kent State was inspiring.

Such is life for the Illini, who had to answer a barrage of questions about whether or not they really wanted to be in the NIT after their 75-58 win against the Kent State Golden Flashes.

The win was the 21st on the season for the Illini and guaranteed them one more home game — a last dance if you will, Wednesday night against Dayton.

The win ALSO puts the Illini one win from playing in one of basketball’s most venerable venues — Madison Square Garden.

Kent State coach Geno Ford was completely impressed with the Illini effort — and the support of the rabid home fans.

“I’ve now been at a lot of places all around the country at this level, though this is the first time that I’ve been here,” Ford said. “The level of the dedication of the fans is pretty high, and the level of their intelligence is pretty high. They knew to cheer when things weren’t going well, and that’s really what you need to do.”

To the Illini’s credit, they didn’t let them down, despite first half missed opportunities.

The Illini blistered the nets at a 58 percent clip from the field in the second half, and only turned the ball over twice in the second half and basically dominated every facet of the game in outscoring the Golden Flashes 44-27.

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