Missouri State
nois, was quiet for about two hours until the team learned it was invited to play in the WBIT. From then on, there was a little more excitement. Cunningham gave the team two days off to rest and mentally prepare for the tournament, although it's not the one they'd prefer to be in.
Cunningham keeps saying she believes her team has a lot of basketball left in it. She doesn't think there will be a postheartbreak hangover when it takes the floor on Thursday evening.
"I think our kids are just innately competitive," Cunningham said. "I think you can see that when they step on the court, they leave their heart and soul out there. Obviously, we've put a ton of work into this season, dating back to when we got together last June. It's been a great group of kids and we've had a ton of growth. I just want to see how far they can go. You try to recruit kids to where it's important and they just have that competitive spirit."
Cunningham said players had stopped by in recent days to talk to her and she's run into a few on campus. She is scheduled to return all but one player on her roster next season, giving Cunningham plenty of excitement about the possibilities with the group after seeing how much it developed this year.
She's not thinking about next season just yet. Going on a run while gaining successful postseason success has her attention for what she hopes will take up the next two weeks.
"Whether it's the NCAA or the WBIT, you've got great teams that had really good years," Cunningham said. "There's no substitute for experience. The more postseason experience we can get, you know, I want our kids to learn how to win in the postseason. I think we can build on that for the next year."
Illinois is the only WBIT team with a losing record
The WBIT seeds four teams in four brackets. Somehow, the Fighting Illini grabbed one of the four seeds despite having a 14-15 record and being the only team in the field with a losing record.
Cunningham believes the record is a bit deceiving, considering some of the teams Illinois beat during a difficult Big Ten schedule. Notable wins include Nebraska and a 20-point win over then-14th-ranked Indiana.
"Obviously, they're worthy," Cunningham said. "They play an extremely tough schedule in a really, really good league. I think records at this point can be somewhat deceiving."
Beth Cunningham has a lot of familiarity with the Illinois roster
From her days coaching on Duke and Notre Dame's staff, Cunningham is very familiar with Illinois' coaching staff and roster.
Shauna Green is in her second year leading the Illini and is a year removed from leading her team to an NCAA Tournament appearance, its first in 20 years. She was the head coach at Dayton from 2016-22 where Cunningham ran into her the most.
Cunningham recruited Illinois senior point guard Makira Cook when she was in high school, with one of Cook's best friends landing at Notre Dame. Cook averages 15.5 points, 4.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Fifth-year center Camille Hobby is a 6foot-3 post who transferred to Illinois from NC State, whom Cunningham coached against when she was at Duke. Hobby averages 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
"There's a little bit of crossover and I've kept my eye on them from afar throughout the season," Cunningham said. "I'm probably a little bit more familiar with them more so than I would be maybe playing anyone else."
Missouri State vs. Illinois prediction
Missouri State. The Lady Bears will be motivated despite their heartbreak from the conference championship game. With most of the roster returning next year, they'll want to send a message with a deep postseason run.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.