I thought it was over. The nightmares had subsided a number of months ago, and the shakes stopped shortly after. The highlights from 3/30/2024 have been buried down deep into the annals of social media, to the point where they don’t pop up unless you are actively looking for them.

I was out of the weeds. That was…..until this news came across my news feed this morning.

Big matchup in the Big Apple. pic.twitter.com/1u4x8HJCJH

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) August 15, 2025

Yes….HC Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini will be heading out east to take on Dan Hurley’s Huskies this November. This will be the first meeting between these programs since the 2024 NCAA Tournament, where the University of Connecticut TROUNCED Illinois 77-52.

It was an absolute beat-down at the TD Garden last year, as the then-defending champions curb stomped Terrence Shannon Jr. and co. Illinois fans were in their own personal hell during this game, as UConn went on to score 30 STRAIGHT POINTS to help muscle their way to a victory.

THE FULL UCONN 30-0 RUN ‼️

Unbelievable. @UConnMBB 😱#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/T0Tbl2JlLV

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 31, 2024

That…..that was a day that didn’t sit well with me, or anyone else in Champaign. An Illinois team with so much promise, and so much potential, ran into a buzz-saw that showed no mercy. Team morale was at it’s lowest point. Coaching was almost non-existent, as Underwood and his staff CONTINUOUSLY drew up bonehead play after bonehead play.

The positives to look at? Well there’s no more Donovan Clingan. We don’t have to worry about Underwood sending guys like Ty Rodgers (who is significantly smaller than the 7’2″ center) into the paint to score against him. Not only that; the Illini also had one of the best off-seasons recruiting/through the transfer portal, bringing in guys like Andrej Stojakovic and Zvonimir Ivisic in the process.

But regardless of all of that……this is still a high-profile match-up against one of the best coaches in the country. It’s going to be a dog fight. With a good mix of returning players and incoming freshman/transfers, the UConn Huskies are poised to be in the Top-10 for a long stretch of time.

It’s going to be one for the record books. But in the end, as always…..what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.