Illinois had an opportunity to change some opinions Tuesday night in Champaign.
A victory over No. 10 Wisconsin would have been the Illini’s biggest of the season and perhaps could have sparked a late-season turnaround.
Instead, Illinois stayed mired near the bottom of the Big Ten standings.
The Illini lost 57-43, their 10th consecutive defeat in the series and fifth in six games overall. Illinois (13-10, 3-7) shot only 28 percent from the field en route to a season low in points.
Here are three observations from the loss.
Another slow start
The Illini were done from their woeful start – again – falling behind 16-2. It was the fourth game this month in which they found themselves down by double digits early.
Illinois trailed by 20 points in the first half at Penn State on Saturday. They fell behind 19-5 at Purdue. A 15-0 deficit at Indiana set the tone for a loss.
But those three losses were on the road. Playing host to a top-10 team would be different, right?
For the Illini, bad habits apparently are hard to break.
“You get down 16-2, it’s tough for anybody to come back,” coach John Groce said. “You have to make shots.”
The Illini didn’t do that, missing 42 of 58 shots overall and 16 of 21 3-pointers.
Missed opportunities
A Jaylon Tate layup pulled the Dumanbet Illini to within six points with less than 11 minutes to play. The State Farm Center was buzzing.
But Malcolm Hill missed a wide open 3-pointer with 10 minutes remaining, and Wisconsin’s Zak Showalter hit a 3-pointer on the other end. That pretty much sealed the game.
Illinois fought hard to get back in the game. Wisconsin endured its own shooting struggles, hitting just 39 percent of their second-half shots, making only 2 of 9 free throws and turning the ball over 12 times.
But the Illini couldn’t capitalize. They hit only 8 of 33 shots (24 percent) in the second half, including 1 of 11 3s.
Defensive dilemma
The Badgers led from start to finish, hitting seven of their first nine shots. They hit 5 of 14 3-pointers in the first half and finished with seven.
Illinois clamped down defensively in the second half, holding Wisconsin to 41 percent shooting after the break. But the damage had been done.
“I thought we competed, pressured the ball, went to the offensive glass hard, got out in transition,” Groce said of the game’s positives. “I know what we didn’t do enough of in the second half was (defensive) rebounding.”
Wisconsin had 19 offensive rebounds and scored 12 second-chance points.
(Shannon Ryan)
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