Sunday, March 1
Champaign, Ill.
2:00 PM
Indiana University
18-11,8-10Big Ten
66
at
67
Illinois
20-9,12-6Big Ten
1
2
F
Indiana
36
30
66
Illinois
36
31
67
Hoosiers Fall Late at Illinois, 67-66
3/1/2020 4:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Frustrated?
Sure.
Disappointed?
Absolutely.
Broken?
Not even close.
Indiana's 67-66 loss at Illinois Sunday afternoon showcased a tough-minded approach that could bode well as the postseason approaches.
"At the end of the day, to get the two to three stops when we really needed them to have a chance to win, we did that," coach Archie Miller told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during his post-game radio show. "I'm proud of our guys for continuing to fight through.
"We have a lot of good guys on this team. Our effort is really good. The commitment to what we're doing is really good."
It showed in rebounding.
The Hoosiers (18-11 overall, 8-10 in the Big Ten) had a 39-31 edge against the conference's best rebounding team (Illinois was outrebounding opponents by 8.9 a game).
It showed in committing just 10 turnovers amid fierce defensive pressure and a frenzied State Farm Arena crowd.
It showed in the 10-for-12 free throw shooting.
"For us to be plus-8 on the glass and only turn the ball over 10 times is a recipe for success," Miller told Fischer. "If we stick to that, we can find ways to win a lot more games."
Sunday's stakes were high. Illinois (20-9, 12-6) had a chance at a Big Ten title with a strong finish. It was one of three teams one loss behind first-place Maryland. IU was positioned to earn at least one bye, and perhaps two, in the upcoming Big Ten tourney.
Neither team led by more than seven points. Ties and lead changes happened with machine-gun fury.
Through it all, the Hoosiers never wavered.
"Some guys did a really good job of making plays," Miller told Fischer. "Guys stepped up when then needed to. They made some shots."
Did they ever. The Hoosiers would not repeat the offensive futility from the Purdue loss three days earlier. They would attack and move and, yes, hit shots, including 8 of 16 beyond the arc.
Nine of the 10 players who played scored.
That included a couple of spectacular first-half drives and finishes from Rob Phinisee and Aljami Durham, plus two are-you-kidding-me three-pointers from Devonte Green.
Durham finished with 13 points. Green had 11. Phinisee had 10.
"We had had some guys make some nice reads and make a couple of big shots," Miller told Fischer. "Devonte kicked to Jerome (Hunter for a three-pointer). Al did a good job on a bump read. He made a shot."
An intriguing matchup of the Big Ten's two best freshmen featured Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis against Illinois' Kofi Cockburn.
The 7-foot Cockburn had won seven Big Ten freshman-of-the-week awards to Jackson-Davis' five.
Call it a draw. Jackson-Davis had 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Cockburn had 15 points, five rebounds and six blocks.
"Trayce really played on the glass," Miller told Fischer. "When he rebounds, he's one of the best players in our league. He really competed.
"They went inside like most teams do against us. Big Kofi was tough for us around the rim. He got some free throws and, to his credit he made them."
Illinois had a 17-10 edge in made free throws. Miller said, "That was pretty much the difference in the game, getting to the line and making them."
Intrigue surfaced on the opening tip. Cockburn quickly drew two fouls on Joey Brunk. In came Race Thompson, who also got two first-half fouls.
Illinois edged ahead 10-4. Green hit his first two three-pointers. Durham added one of his own.
That set the stage for a 12-3 run and a 28-23 Indiana lead.
The Illini surged back. A back-and-forth half that produced three lead changes and six ties ended in a 36-36 score. Jackson-Davis was halfway to a double-double with 10 points and five rebounds. The Hoosiers had a 20-12 rebound edge.
Illinois edged ahead 45-40 to start the second half, plus drew a third foul on Thompson. Miller called a timeout to shore up the defense.
It worked. IU regained the lead, lost it, regained it. A jaw-dropping Green layup over Cockburn that drew a foul and generated a free throw and a three-point play, put the Hoosiers ahead 53-51 with 9:28 left.
Illinois responded with a 9-0 run to build a seven-point lead, its biggest of the game.
Durham ended a four-minute scoring drought with a pair of free throws. Jackson-Davis broke a six-minute span without a field goal with an inside basket. The Hoosiers trailed 62-57 with three minutes left.
A Durham three-pointer made it a two-point game with less than two minutes left. Phinisee followed an Illinois 3-pointer with another three. The lead remained two as the clock ticked under a minute.
Jackson-Davis missed two free throws with 13.6 seconds left, and Illinois scrambled to get the ball, got it, and called timeout.
Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu hit two free throws to make it 67-63 with 4.5 seconds left. Phinisee beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer.
IU, which has lost two straight, ends the regular season with home games against Minnesota and Wisconsin.
"We finish at Assembly Hall and we need that place to be a home-court advantage," Miller told Fischer.
"The last two places we played (Mackey Arena and State Farm Arena), our guys were under duress and handled it.
"Now, if play hard as we have, and play with a little bit more discipline and smarter, hopefully we have the advantage, which is what we will need."
IUHoosiers.com
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Frustrated?
Sure.
Disappointed?
Absolutely.
Broken?
Not even close.
Indiana's 67-66 loss at Illinois Sunday afternoon showcased a tough-minded approach that could bode well as the postseason approaches.
"At the end of the day, to get the two to three stops when we really needed them to have a chance to win, we did that," coach Archie Miller told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during his post-game radio show. "I'm proud of our guys for continuing to fight through.
"We have a lot of good guys on this team. Our effort is really good. The commitment to what we're doing is really good."
It showed in rebounding.
The Hoosiers (18-11 overall, 8-10 in the Big Ten) had a 39-31 edge against the conference's best rebounding team (Illinois was outrebounding opponents by 8.9 a game).
It showed in committing just 10 turnovers amid fierce defensive pressure and a frenzied State Farm Arena crowd.
It showed in the 10-for-12 free throw shooting.
"For us to be plus-8 on the glass and only turn the ball over 10 times is a recipe for success," Miller told Fischer. "If we stick to that, we can find ways to win a lot more games."
Sunday's stakes were high. Illinois (20-9, 12-6) had a chance at a Big Ten title with a strong finish. It was one of three teams one loss behind first-place Maryland. IU was positioned to earn at least one bye, and perhaps two, in the upcoming Big Ten tourney.
Neither team led by more than seven points. Ties and lead changes happened with machine-gun fury.
Through it all, the Hoosiers never wavered.
"Some guys did a really good job of making plays," Miller told Fischer. "Guys stepped up when then needed to. They made some shots."
Did they ever. The Hoosiers would not repeat the offensive futility from the Purdue loss three days earlier. They would attack and move and, yes, hit shots, including 8 of 16 beyond the arc.
Nine of the 10 players who played scored.
That included a couple of spectacular first-half drives and finishes from Rob Phinisee and Aljami Durham, plus two are-you-kidding-me three-pointers from Devonte Green.
Durham finished with 13 points. Green had 11. Phinisee had 10.
"We had had some guys make some nice reads and make a couple of big shots," Miller told Fischer. "Devonte kicked to Jerome (Hunter for a three-pointer). Al did a good job on a bump read. He made a shot."
An intriguing matchup of the Big Ten's two best freshmen featured Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis against Illinois' Kofi Cockburn.
The 7-foot Cockburn had won seven Big Ten freshman-of-the-week awards to Jackson-Davis' five.
Call it a draw. Jackson-Davis had 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Cockburn had 15 points, five rebounds and six blocks.
"Trayce really played on the glass," Miller told Fischer. "When he rebounds, he's one of the best players in our league. He really competed.
"They went inside like most teams do against us. Big Kofi was tough for us around the rim. He got some free throws and, to his credit he made them."
Illinois had a 17-10 edge in made free throws. Miller said, "That was pretty much the difference in the game, getting to the line and making them."
Intrigue surfaced on the opening tip. Cockburn quickly drew two fouls on Joey Brunk. In came Race Thompson, who also got two first-half fouls.
Illinois edged ahead 10-4. Green hit his first two three-pointers. Durham added one of his own.
That set the stage for a 12-3 run and a 28-23 Indiana lead.
The Illini surged back. A back-and-forth half that produced three lead changes and six ties ended in a 36-36 score. Jackson-Davis was halfway to a double-double with 10 points and five rebounds. The Hoosiers had a 20-12 rebound edge.
Illinois edged ahead 45-40 to start the second half, plus drew a third foul on Thompson. Miller called a timeout to shore up the defense.
It worked. IU regained the lead, lost it, regained it. A jaw-dropping Green layup over Cockburn that drew a foul and generated a free throw and a three-point play, put the Hoosiers ahead 53-51 with 9:28 left.
Illinois responded with a 9-0 run to build a seven-point lead, its biggest of the game.
Durham ended a four-minute scoring drought with a pair of free throws. Jackson-Davis broke a six-minute span without a field goal with an inside basket. The Hoosiers trailed 62-57 with three minutes left.
A Durham three-pointer made it a two-point game with less than two minutes left. Phinisee followed an Illinois 3-pointer with another three. The lead remained two as the clock ticked under a minute.
Jackson-Davis missed two free throws with 13.6 seconds left, and Illinois scrambled to get the ball, got it, and called timeout.
Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu hit two free throws to make it 67-63 with 4.5 seconds left. Phinisee beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer.
IU, which has lost two straight, ends the regular season with home games against Minnesota and Wisconsin.
"We finish at Assembly Hall and we need that place to be a home-court advantage," Miller told Fischer.
"The last two places we played (Mackey Arena and State Farm Arena), our guys were under duress and handled it.
"Now, if play hard as we have, and play with a little bit more discipline and smarter, hopefully we have the advantage, which is what we will need."
Team Stats
IND
Illini
FG%
.407
.442
3FG%
.500
.333
FT%
.833
.708
RB
39
31
TO
10
7
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
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