Indiana lost to Illinois on Saturday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington by a final score of 74-57.
The Hoosiers led 36-34 at halftime and were led in the game by Race Thompson with 13 points. Xavier Johnson added 12.
IU (16-6, 7-5) will next travel to Northwestern for a Tuesday evening contest in Evanston, Ill.
See also: Woodson and Thompson post-game
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Indiana offense implodes in second half. The Hoosiers couldn’t get anything going after the break. They made just 29.6 percent of their shots and committed eight turnovers. According to the live stats IU scored just .677 points per possession after the break. Xavier Johnson had nine points before halftime but just three in the second half, although he did have four assists on IU’s eight second half field goals. After getting 14 free throw attempts in the first half IU had just four in the second. Illinois outscored IU 32-11 in the last 13 minutes.
2. Jackson-Davis struggles to impact the game, Thompson inefficient. With Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn manning the paint, IU’s Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson made just 8-of-22 shots. Jackson-Davis got in early foul trouble trying to slow down Cockburn, and when he tried to score he seemed sped up in the paint. Cockburn never left the paint on defense, forcing Jackson-Davis to earn every attempt he tried within 15 feet. IU seemed to like Thompson’s matchups against Illinois’ smaller forwards, but he missed several attempts at close range, and he was 0-of-3 from three.
3. Hoosiers struggle to guard the perimeter. Illinois was led by point guard Trent Frazier’s 23 points, but his work to break down the IU defense was just as important. He got to the paint and Illinois moved the ball, leading to a 10-of-23 day (43.5 percent) from three with IU worried about Cockburn inside. As a team the Illini had 13 assists on 23 field goals. As the game wore on and IU grew tired and more concerned about the 3-point line, Cockburn took over, making 4-of-6 second half shots and 4-of-5 free throws for 12 second half points.
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