Quest for 66

Much to my disappointment, Illinois did not get their ticket punched to the Big Dance this year. Instead the were a #1 seed in the NIT (a.k.a. Not Invited Tournament), and began their quest to be the 66th best team in the nation.

Unfortunately, in spite of the fact they are a #1 seed, Illinois had to hit the road and head to New York to take on the Stony Brook Seawolves, who have played the likes of Hartford, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire this season. A big thanks to Cirque du Soleil for forcing Illinois to go on the road for this one.

Stony Brook jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first minute of the game, but couldn't hold off the Big Ten powerhouse known as Illinois. It was back and forth for a while, but Illinois took the lead for good with less than a minute left in the first half and never looked back.

Next up on the Quest for 66: Kent State on Monday.