ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Driving back to Champaign-Urbana on Sunday afternoon, the Illinois men’s tennis team could reflect on the Big Ten tournament championship match it contested earlier in the day against Ohio State. But only for a brief moment. The NCAA tournament selection pairings come out Monday evening, with Illinois in prime position to clinch its 24th straight NCAA tournament appearance. Even though the 15th-ranked Illini lost 4-1 to top-ranked Ohio State at Michigan’s Varsity Tennis Center on Sunday, giving the Buckeyes their fourth straight conference tournament title and denying Illinois a chance at the program’s first Big Ten hardware since the Illini won it in 2015. “Ohio State won that match,” Illinois coach Brad Dancer said. “We’ve played some matches this year where I felt like we’ve lost them, but Ohio State beat us. They were just better than us in some of the big moments.” Illinois (18-8)…
Continue Reading: Illini fall to Buckeyes, await draw
