Illinois and Iowa preview: an entire state will be watching (something else)

The Illini need to get things right in conference play and fast. Thankfully, Todd Lickliter is a very accommodating coach when it comes to this sort of thing, and will be bringing his funeral procession of a basketball team with him tonight to the Assembly Hall.

As much time as we have spent recently worrying and getting all worked up about the lackluster results our own basketball team has been producing as of late, I think we should all take a moment and fully appreciate the frightful reality that is Iowa basketball 2009/10.

The 5-7 Hawkeyes started the year of very rightly with two home losses to Texas San Antonio and Duquense, and have lost to every team with an RPI better than 167, and several worse than that. The Hawkeyes best win of the pre-conference season is to that titan of MAC basketball, Bowling Green. The Hawkeyes are on their way to one of the worst basketball seasons of all time, and as a result, if the Illini lose tonight I am running straight to my bunker until further notice. Really, the Illini have no business losing to this Iowa team.

Over the past year, Lickliter has lost two of his starting guards to transfer and just recently lost the team's third leading scorer to a suspension due to public intoxication (we can all relate.) Perhaps the only player left for the Illini to be worried about is Matt Gatens, who is getting 36 minutes a game because Lickliter has very few options left.

All of this may come as news to your average Iowa fan, who more than likely is completely unaware of there being a basketball game tonight (or perhaps even having a team at all.) Maybe that will work out in favor of the Hawkeyes, knowing that absolutely no one in their home state will be watching them tonight might take some of the pressure off.

The Illini will more than likely be unveiling a new starting lineup tonight, one which will hopefully enhance the team's ability to play defense, and in some way get a few more rebounds.

I am interested in seeing how the minutes break down among the big men tonight, as we saw Tisdale and Dominique both go off for very large scoring nights recently, so the possibility of two guards two forwards (Dominique) and a center may be a real possibility tonight.

One way or another, the Illini will have to lock down better on the perimeter, because the only way Iowa can beat teams is with the 3 point shot, and if the defense from the guards breaks down again like in St. Louis, we could actually see a high score from Iowa tonight. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Game time is 8pm on the BTN.