The first step to recovery from the emotional Gonzaga overtime loss in Chicago would be a nice comfortable win over the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight at the Assembly Hall.

The Hawkeyes come in at 5-9 and just got drilled at home by Minnesota.  They have lost several scholarship players over the last couple of years and Coach Todd Lickliter is trying to mesh together a young Hawkeye team in the heat of a Big Ten Conference season. 

Iowa has a couple of headliners to watch tonight.  Matt Gatens is an excellent long-ranger bomber from anywhere on the court and if you foul him....he makes you pay at the free-throw line.   Jarryd Cole is not the tallest center the Illini will face this year (6'7")...but he is a solid 250 pounds and can give the Illini trouble on the post. 

Plus...the Hawkeyes have a handful of young players who have either played in or won state championship games in high school.   So even though the Hawks are struggling.... the Illini cannot take anything for granted.

Then on Saturday night in Bloomington, Indiana....the Illni will face a Hoosier team that has come to resemble their coach (Tom Crean) in how hard they work and how determined they are to win from opening tip to final horn.  The "other Assembly Hall" is a difficult place to play....and Hoosier fans and their team are both anxious to avenge two losses to Illinois from last year...

With 5 losses already in hand....and games at Northwestern....at Michigan State.... and home matchups with Penn State and Purdue looming.....The Illini are treading on thin ice when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament in March.    That is what makes these next two games so critical for Bruce Weber's team.