CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It’s safe to say Morez Johnson Jr. got the last laugh. The Top 10 showdown between Michigan and Illinois was once billed as a potential Big Ten men’s basketball title decider. Results in recent weeks (namely, the Illini hitting a few bumps in what had been a rather smooth conference road) nullified most of the stakes. Michigan was happy to clinch the outright Big Ten crown early, and NCAA tournament seeding is always a conversation.What was at stake was old-school pride. Johnson, Chicago’s own and a monster recruit for Illinois last season, hit the portal and left for Big Ten rival Michigan. He attributes the decision to “career development,” though naturally in this era money is always assumed to be a factor. Illinois students lined up overnight and all throughout the day on an unseasonably warm day, 21-and-up beverages flowing, ready to boo that decision.…