At the Buzzer: Illinois 71, Indiana 51

Tucker DeVries drives at Illinois.

Quick thoughts on a 71-51 loss at Illinois:

How it happened

Indiana played well in the opening 20 minutes at the State Farm Center. The Hoosiers made four 3-pointers, turned it over just twice and Lamar Wilkerson had 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting. At 1.1 points per possession, it was a strong offensive performance for Indiana.

But Illinois, the best offensive team in the country, was on another level. The Fighting Illini grabbed seven offensive rebounds, scored 20 points in the paint, made five 3-pointers and got 15 points from freshman David Mirkovic and 11 from Keaton Wagler. It was enough for Illinois to claim a 38-31 advantage at the break on 1.35 points per possession.

Indiana went ice-cold offensively to start the second half and Illinois took advantage. By the under-12 timeout, the Hoosiers were just 2-for-10 from the field, including 0-for-6 on 3s, and the Fighting Illini opened a 54-38 lead. Tomislav Ivisic was key in the opening eight minutes for Illinois, scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds.

The Fighting Illini remained in control at the under-eight media timeout with a comfortable 58-43 advantage as IU’s shooting woes continued. By that point, the Hoosiers had just 12 second-half points and seven came from Wilkerson.

By the final media timeout, Illinois had its largest lead of the afternoon at 66-48. The offensive glass was pivotal for the Fighting Illini, adding some cushion to their lead. By the 3:14 mark, Illinois had scored 13 second-chance points on seven offensive rebounds in the second half. The Hoosiers managed just three points over the final 6:04 as Illinois cruised to a 20-point win.

Standout performer

Wilkerson led Indiana with 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting in 39 minutes. He was 2-for-7 on 3s and 3-for-3 from the free throw line and also had three rebounds and one assist.

Statistics that stand out

Illinois outscored Indiana 40-24 in the paint, held the Hoosiers to a season-low 51 points, won the points off turnovers battle 14-2 and the second-chance points battle 17-5.