Illinois loss makes wait tough to take

According to projections by Lunardi and Palm, the Illini had already fallen behind Michigan and Michigan State in the seedings. Penn State's semifinal win over Michigan State on Saturday might also jump the Nittany Lions past Illinois, although it's unclear what it does for the Spartans' seed.

Illinois still looked like a tournament team, but the Illini were sliding closer to the First Four, the play-in games Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton. Illinois (19-13) lost 10 of its last 16 games.

Supinie