I think it's safe to say the Bruce Weber era of Illinois basketball has just about come to a close. Any hope Weber had of saving his job likely went out the window with Illinois' 64-61 loss to Iowa in the opening game of the 2012 Big Ten tournament.
The Hawkeyes and Illini traded the lead until midway through the second half, at which point Iowa pulled away. Illinois did make things interesting by getting in position to have a chance at tying the game as time was running out, but the Illini's D.J. Richardson missed a three at the buzzer.
With the victory, Iowa moves on to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, where it will face Michigan State at noon ET on Friday (on ESPN). This will be only the second meeting between the Spartans and Hawkeyes this season. The one regular season matchup between the two teams was a 95-61 blowout by Michigan State in East Lansing.
If the Spartans are able to beat Iowa again, they will move on to the semifinals to face either Indiana or Wisconsin.
Here's an updated look at the Big Ten tournament bracket:
No. 1 Michigan State vs. No. 8 Iowa (beat Illinois, 74-71, in first round)
No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Indiana (beat Penn State, 75-58, in first round)
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No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 10 Minnesota (beat Northwestern, 75-68, in overtime in first round)
No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Purdue/No. 11 Nebraska
For more on the Big Ten tournament, keep checking this StoryStream.
For more on the Michigan State Spartans, go to The Only Colors. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Basketball hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Basketball.