It’s time to take this Illinois team seriously

Revenge is sweet, isn’t it?

That’s what No. 13 Illinois had on its mind on Friday night, one year after getting run out of the gym in the Braggin’ Rights game to the tune of an uncompetitive 22-point loss. This time around, the Illini returned the favor, coming away with a 24-point victory that was dominant from start to finish.

It was pure dominance from start to finish. The Illini imposed their will and the Tigers looked defeated before the first half was over. That hopeless feeling Illinois had at this time last season shifted over to the Missouri bench during this go around.

But avenging last season’s loss, no matter how sweet it was, wasn’t the only takeaway from the 97-73 win over Missouri. It’s time to start taking this team serious, not only as an upper echelon Big Ten and nationally ranked squad but perhaps a true national contender.

They have the makings of a group that nobody is going to want to see down the road.

It starts with their First Team…