Illini WBB upset No. 19 Florida State

CHAMPAGNE — For a moment, Shauna Green sat there and just listened to two of their best players.

Kendall Bostic And Adalia McKenzie I went through it in Illinois. They were on teams that were conference punching bags. Automatic victories for opposing teams. Not going anywhere fast.

These times are why Green is here in the first place: to breathe life into a program that has been lifeless for a decade. Maybe longer.

These times seem to be a product of a bygone era.

Illinois was less than an hour away from upset #19 State of Florida 83-74 opened Green’s third season at Illinois. The victory was as significant as any in Green’s tenure, if only because it signified what this program has become and, just as importantly, what it could be.

“Starting with a ranking win is a great way to start our final season and just start the season and get our names out there,” Bostic said. “I think they really thought they were going to come in and just steamroll us. No longer. Nobody’s going to come in and just steamroll us.”

This was just the sixth ranked win for the Illini since November 27, 2014, and Illinois is 6-44 against ranked opponents over the last decade. Green was the coach of three of those ranking victories.

The Illini (1-0) have already had big wins under Green, a defining moment in an upset Iowa a win in January 2023 Indiana There was a WBIT championship last season – but beating the Seminoles with a start-to-finish win followed increased expectations for the program with a returning core of starters.

And in the first game with these expectations in full force? Illinois (1-0) defeated the 19th-ranked team in the country and didn’t fall behind. It was the attacker. The puncher. The team apparently had something to prove: that the program had turned around. Full. No looking back.

“Gratitude. Just so thankful we’re here,” McKenzie said. “We have the right people here, a good environment and resources. When you see that everything pays off, you are very grateful. When you play with gratitude, you get good results.”

Bostic added: “When I look back, from when Dal and I got together, from the beginning of the program to where it is now, I think it’s absolutely crazy. I’m really proud of everyone who believed in this program and came in and implemented it. “We put a lot of work into everything and the coaches changed our system. They got us into it. I’m just very proud of everyone cool to be a part of the foundation that turned Illinois around.”

All the tired clichés apply. Illinois can’t simply Be the team that beats Florida State. It can’t come back with a dud Marquette on Sunday. There are veterans who have been there, done that and been through the tough times before helping move the program forward.

But damn if that doesn’t feel good for the Illini. Green has seen it all week. Your team was involved from the start. Everything was fresh and as she imagined it would be when this team put the pieces together Finally got the chance to play against a new opponent.

The Illini entered last season with similarly high expectations after earning an NCAA Tournament berth in Green’s first year, and fell short early. Ranked for “about 24 hours,” as Green recalls. To be honest, it was longer, but not by much.

Illinois didn’t win a high-major game in its first eight tries before finally getting it done in mid-January. This year? It took all of two hours.

“Yeah, it’s a win, but it’s also something really big because I think it sets the tone for the whole year,” Green said. “This means more after losing a lot of those close games early last year.”

After building a 17-point lead in the second quarter, Illinois had to overcome Florida State’s defense to spoil the moment. The Seminoles closed the first half with a nine-point run and came within six points three more times in the second half. The Illini countered back. Over and over again.

McKenzie was a star with 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and outstanding defense against the Florida State star Ta’Niya Latson. Bostic was consistent as expected with 19 points and nine rebounds. Makira Cook scored 20 points and Brynn Shoup Hill had 10 rebounds and two blocks.

A veteran of defeats before Green and disappointments a season ago, Bostic knew the way forward. It just had to lean on its leadership to get there and fend off an athletic Seminole team fueled by Latson (27 points) and Post Makayla Timpson (22 points, 14 rebounds).

“We just calmed down and went back to our game plan,” Bostic said. “I think we were a little bit stumped for a while, there were a few mishaps defensively, but I thought Gen and Makira did a really good job of just getting us on offense, slowing down a few things , saw the court and so on.” I think it was our attitude to say, “Hey, it was a 9-0 run.” I think we got a little bit quicker, so they want you to caught up in the chaos and easy join in by taking a step back and going back to what we did.”

It took some time for Green to finally bring himself to even plan this game. Was it a bad idea, she wondered internally? Was it too early to take such a tough test? Sure, her team has tons of experience and she knows every detail about the group that brought this program back to attention and momentum. But The Kind of test The early? This is risky business and Green knew it. She went back and forth in her brain. Over and over again.

Eventually, she calmed down and realized her team needed this type of game, whether they won or lost. To get to where Illinois wants to be this season, it needed to be tested. It was necessary to find out whether the scars from the beginning of last season turned into calluses of hardship. Enough was enough in the worrisome department.

Then Illinois had a strong week leading up to that game and Green knew it. They were ready and delivered quickly.

“I know this team very well, for better, for worse and everything in between,” Green said. “I know everything and every little thing they do. They have been different the last two days. This team knows this was a great opportunity and they knew this was a really good team. They knew what they had to do and prepared accordingly.” . …I trust this team and they have been a top performer in our preparation and focus.”

After one of the best wins of Green’s two-year, one-game tenure and a postgame locker room celebration, Green listened to two of her star players. Therein lies a perspective on where the program comes from and where it can go.

The win against Florida State isn’t the be-all and end-all of the season, but it is a meaningful moment in a season that Illinois hopes has a number of meaningful moments.

The squad is littered with relatively new faces who weren’t there during the true low points before Green. Then there were the two who sat to Green’s left at a lectern at the State Farm Center, two who saw the depth before Green arrived. But after Thursday’s opening game, Bostic and McKenzie have a very different perspective – as a team expecting to win against a national team.

“(Bostic) knows what it was like when they came in and it was just a check,” Green said. “It was a win for the other team. For her, I’m so happy for her. I can’t imagine how good it feels now and how proud they must be. That’s why when I listened to these two talk, it was like, ‘Man, this is what it’s all about.’ They came when the program wasn’t going well, they stuck with it and it’s incredible that they’re having success now.”