On the bubble: 12 teams to watch

Illinois has four wins over top-50 opponents (North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Minnesota) and has a solid RPI, but the Illini certainly haven't played like an NCAA tournament team lately. The Illini have lost eight of their past 12 games and have a losing record in Big Ten play. Even though they'd probably make the tournament if the season ended today, their recent slump offers plenty of reason for pessimism. Illinois still could finish 9-9 in Big Ten play by beating Iowa and Indiana at home - a likely scenario - but the Illini may need to win a game or two in the Big Ten tournament unless they also pull an upset at Purdue to sweep their last three regular-season games. If the Illini end up going to the NIT for a second straight year, they undoubtedly will look back with regret at their stunning Dec. 18 loss to Illinois-Chicago and road setbacks against Indiana, Northwestern and Penn State.

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