The Red Raiders took down a top-three team at home behind an exceptional performance both offensively and defensively.

It's just the beginning of the college basketball season, but the madness from March has already arrived in early November. Texas Tech takes down No. 3 Illinois, 84-78, in a crucial non-conference win that will vault them up the rankings next Monday.

In the impressive win by the Red Raiders, here are the biggest takeaways from Tuesday night's action.

No Quit from the Red Raiders

In the wire-to-wire win for the Red Raiders, it was apparent that this team truly has no quit. The momentum swung various times throughout the game, and at a point in the second half, it seemed like Illinois had a hold of just about all of it as they overcame the halftime deficit to bring them within a handful of points of the lead.

Tech never wavered, however, as they continued to make plays, keeping the lead for the duration of the game and not allowing Illinois a true chance to taste a win.

Jamichael Stillwell’s Impact

Texas Tech finally welcomed Jamichael Stillwell into the rotation as he had been dealing with eligibility issues for the first two games of the season.

Stillwell didn't have the best night shooting from the field, as the ball seemed to reject the hoop for Stillwell at times, shooting 2-for-10 from the field. Regardless, Stillwell was still able to provide value for this team as he shot 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, totaling 11 points and a double-double with 13 rebounds.

Rebounding was one of the biggest concerns for this team heading into the season, and having Stillwell back in the rotation largely alleviates that issue. Stillwell's physical nature and his fearlessness on the glass proved to be a difference-maker for Tech's rebounding efforts as they out-rebounded the Illini 43-to-32.

This Team Can Compete For a National Championship

Finally, the third and perhaps biggest takeaway from this game is that I feel confident in saying that Texas Tech is truly a national championship-caliber team.

The combination of scoring options and defensive ability, backed by one of the best coaches in college basketball, gives me reason to believe the Red Raiders can play with anybody in the country.

Yes, it's early November, and there's a very long way to go, but the early signs are certainly positive. If Texas Tech can stay the course and continue to perform as they did in the win over Illinois, I do not foresee this team having a ceiling come March.