The bloom is off the rose for these Illini (14-6, 6-4 Big Ten), who went from being underrated by the college basketball illuminati early this season to now arguably underperforming as the expectations around them have risen. The climb up the mountain, as always, gets harder with every subsequent step toward the top.

Kylan Boswell scored 17 points and had six rebounds to lead No. 17 Illinois over Northwestern 83-74 on Sunday. Morez Johnson Jr. had 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots, Ben Humrichous had 14 points,

Despite (or maybe because of) their unpredictability, the Illini went back to some old standbys to best the Wildcats on Sunday

Find out the Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Northwestern men's basketball game betting odds, over/under and point spread

Kylan Boswell scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 17 Illinois rolled to an 83-74 Big Ten victory over visiting Northwestern Sunday afternoon in Champaign, Ill. Starting for 7-foot-1 Tomislav Ivisic,

Kylan Boswell scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures as No. 17 Illinois rolled to an 83-74 Big Ten victory over visiting Northwestern Sunday afternoon in Champaign,