The Fighting Illini's WBIT run has already featured several "firsts."Â
Illinois received a spot in the first-ever WBIT as one of 32 teams to earn a berth in the inaugural competition.
After defeating Tulsa in the WBIT quarterfinals on Thursday, Illinois secured its spot as one of the last four teams of a non-conference postseason competition for the first time in program history.
When they took the court against top-seeded Washington State on Monday, the Illini played their first-ever game in April.
Taking down the Cougars in dominant fashion, the Orange and Blue booked their ticket in the WBIT championship game, their first appearance in a non-conference postseason title game ever.
But, the Illini are not done making history just yet. Playing for a postseason championship for the first time, Illinois will take the court against Villanova on Wednesday night in search of some hardware.
"It just makes everything worth it," said Illini senior Genesis Bryant. "We had some tough times. I think that's a common thing everyone was saying, but knowing that we can compete for a championship and cut down some nets still, even after how we started, is a blessing."
The Illini came to Indianapolis on a mission. As the lowest-seeded team remaining and the lone squad that had to play an away game on the road to Hinkle Fieldhouse, Illinois knew its path to a WBIT title would not be easy.
Undeterred, the Orange and Blue never trailed and led by as many as 29 points in their 81-58 win over Washington State in the semifinals. Four starters scored in double figures, and six different players recorded at least seven points in the 23-point victory.
Opening the game on a 13-4 run, the Illini led by double digits for the final 29 minutes of the contest. Illinois knew it would need to bring energy and intensity on both ends of the floor to pull off the win, and that is exactly what the team did.
"We always talk about our start and coming out and winning the first five minutes, and I could not have been more pleased with our start," said head coach Shauna Green. "I thought that was really critical. Coming out against a team like this, especially on the road in a neutral site, our start was going to be important."
Forcing four turnovers in the first quarter, including one on the Cougars' first possession of the evening, the Illini scored on each of those takeaways. Senior Makira Cook knew their defensive effort would set the tone on offense after the Illini totaled 22 points on 18 Washington State turnovers.
In fact, Illinois has amassed double-digit points off turnovers in each of its WBIT games thus far, while the Illini's 22 points off turnovers were their third-most in a game this season and their most since November.Â
"I think that we executed what we wanted to do, which one of them was to give a little bit of pressure, so we bought into it," Cook said. "I feel like we bought into our pressure defense, so once we were all on the same page, we just kind of went with it."
For Illini grad student Camille Hobby, Wednesday will mark the final game of her five-year college career. Looking to go out on a winning note, Hobby is grateful for the opportunity to potentially close the season – and her time in college – with a trophy.
"Being a grad student, having the opportunity to play for a championship is amazing, especially to do it with my teammates," Hobby said. "We obviously had a lot of ups and downs this season, but it's not really how you start; it's how you finish. We have a great opportunity to take on Villanova, so hopefully, we'll be able to finish."
Illinois will take on Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT. Though the game will air on ESPN2, the short commute from Champaign-Urbana to Indianapolis allowed the Illini to feel right at home in front of a sea of Orange and Blue in their semifinal win on Monday.
Looking to make history once again, Illinois is ready for the bright lights with a championship trophy on the line.
"It's not how you start but how you finish," Bryant said, "and I feel like we have a great opportunity to finish strong on Wednesday."
