Members of the Orange Krush cursed at officials. Coach John Groce pounded his fist on the scorer’s table. As Illinois fell behind 10 points in the second half, an exasperated fan yelled, "It’s freakin’ Minnesota."
The Illini fell flat again Saturday as their struggle to pull out winnable games continues, this time in a 68-59 to Minnesota in front of a sellout home crowd on Wednesday.
The Gophers (16-7, 4-6 Big Ten) had been in their own apparent free fall with a five-game losing streak, but this road victory could help them build what they hope is an NCAA tournament resume.
That’s looking nearly impossible for the Illini (13-11, 3-8), who have seven regular-season games remaining but have lost 6 of 7 as pressure mounts on Groce’s job security and on the state of the program.
"At the end of the day, I tell them we have to play for each other," Groce said, also noting his appreciation for the passionate crowd of 15,544. "That’s more important to me than anything else.
"I don’t pay attention to (fan frustration) a whole lot. I just kind of roll. That’s what I want (players) to do. It’s a little challenging (at their age). We’re going to continue to stay positive with them."
Fans lined up in the brisk cold outside of State Farm Center in hopes of having a photograph with the Cubs’ World Series trophy that made a stop in Champaign. But that gleam served as a stark contrast to how much Illinois needs to improve.
After a 35-35 halftime tie, Illinois hit only 9 of 30 shots. The Illini made only 4 of 22 3-pointers in the game as Malcolm Hill and Jalen Coleman-Lands combined to whiff on 15 3-pointers. Coleman-Lands was 0-for-10 total from the field.
"I’m very comfortable with the balance of who took the shots and the shots we took for the most part," Groce said. "We just didn’t make enough of them."
Illinois’ inconsistencies were on full display. Despite holding Minnesota to an admirable 38 percent shooting, the Illini were hot-and-cold.
The Illini fell behind by their largest margin 59-46 when they struggled through a 0-for-5 four-minute stretch which also featured four turnovers. Just as quickly, the Illini were back in it thanks to a 10-3 run that pulled them to within 62-56 with 3 minutes, 41 seconds to play.
But the Illini made only one more shot — a Kipper Nichols 3-pointer with 33 seconds left.
Nichols made all five of his shots off the bench in the first half — even banking one in for two of his 13 points. But he played only 11 minutes after the break with just the one 3-pointer to finish with 16.
Groce said Nichols’ time entering the game — 3:15 into the second half — was based on player combinations they wanted together on the court.
The Gophers were led by 15 points from Illinois State transfer Reggie Lynch and 14 from Waukegan native Akeem Springs.
sryan@chicagotribune.com
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