Yet it should have been encouraging in equal measure that Illinois was able to withstand a bullish run from Washington (10-5, 1-3) and deliver in other areas to avoid a letdown after its upset of Oregon in Eugene days before.

Kasparas Jakucionis made a tiebreaking layup with 32 seconds left, and No. 22 Illinois survived a furious comeback bid by Washington to squeak out an 81-77 victory Sunday at Alaska Airlines arena.

Illinois guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger (8) and Washington's guard Elle Ladine (24) in a NCAA basketball game at the State Farm Center in Champaign on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. Sports Copy Editor Illinois guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger (8) and Washington's guard Elle Ladine (24) in a NCAA basketball game at the State Farm Center in Champaign on Tuesday,

Illinois (11-3, 3-1 Big Ten) managed to hold off Washington (10-5, 1-3) by a score of 81-77 on Sunday in Seattle, but it only just survived a fierce comeback as the surging Huskies simply ran out of clock to work with.

Penn State faces Illinois. Our college basketball odds series has our Penn State Illinois prediction, odds and pick for Wednesday.