IU Basketball vs Illinois — Live Updates and Discussion Thread (FINAL)

Follow along with live updates below as the Hoosiers take on Illinois in Champaign.

Feel free also to join the discussion thread below to share your views.

Indiana and the Fighting Illini tip off at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

———————————————————————–

FINAL: Illinois 71 – Indiana 51

SECOND HALF

Illinois up 66-48 with 3:14 left.

The Illini will put it away. I still think IU is a quality win away from being an NCAA Tournament lock, but that could change as other teams win or lose. Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan State are the circled ones.
In the broad scheme of things, Indiana did play some solid defense against the best offense in the country. They’ve held them to 44 percent from the field and 22 percent from beyond the arc.

Illinois up 58-43 with 6:55 to go.

Not gonna say this one is out of reach, but IU has to complement some stops with shot making to get back in it. Illinois freshmen David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler are the two double-figure scorers for the Illini today. Mirkovic leads them with 19.
Tayton Conerway has only played four minutes today, all of which were in the first half. I’m a bit confused as to why they don’t at least give him a shot, especially with Enright playing the amount of minutes he’s had to recently. Perhaps his ankle issue is lingering longer than expected.

Illini leads 54-38 with 11:33 left.

Indiana has a very big uphill battle in front of them, but it has to start with making shots. IU has made one of their least seven from the field, are 39 percent from the field today, and are 4 of 19 from beyond the arc.
Illinois’s size has definitely played a huge factor in multiple areas today, but the rebounding numbers are the obvious indicator. The Illini have gotten nine offensive rebounds and lead 27-21 in total rebounds.

Illinois leads 49-36 with 14:10 to go.

Not a good start to the half for Indiana, especially on defense. Too many easy buckets on the dribble-drive and second chance opportunities from offensive rebounds. They’re still switching Enright onto bigs, which has been exposed more than once today.
Without Lamar Wilkerson, IU would be dead and buried. Wilkerson has 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Outside of him, Indiana is 7 of 23 from the field.

HALFTIME: Illinois 38 – Indiana 31

FIRST HALF

Illinois up 32-25 with 3:52 to go.

That last segment perfectly describes the size difference the Illini have over the Hoosiers. Three consecutive offensive rebounds, but Conor Enright bails Indiana out with a charge. Illinois has six offensive rebounds so far.
Lamar Wilkerson leads Indiana in scoring with 10 points. Just like every game, IU is going to need him to be lights out for them to have a chance. Tucker DeVries is next with five.

The Illini lead 27-21 with 7:49 left to go.

The Hoosiers haven’t been able to limit the outside shots from Illinois yet. They’re 4 of 8 from beyond the arc so far. David Mirkovic leads the team with 10 points.
Missed this at the last timeout, but Tucker DeVries has two early fouls. He went to the bench for a short period, but is back on the floor.

Illinois leads 18-15 with 11:40 in the first half.

The Illini are starting to limit Indiana’s opportunities on the defensive end. The Hoosiers have been able to move the ball well, but most of that movement is on the perimeter without a lot of paint touches.
IU is switching just about everything on defense, which Illinois has been able to take advantage of, especially with Conor Enright. He’s been guarding some of Illinois’s bigs down low, which is never going to work.

Indiana leads 11-9 with 15:11 to go.

Sam Alexis picks up right where he left off. He’s made two early shots for four points and is establishing a presence early in Indiana’s offense.
On the other side, Keaton Wagler has gotten to the cup a few times and has five points. Enright with a tall task of slowing him down today.

PREGAME NOTES

Per the Big Ten availability report, Kylan Boswell is good to go for Illinois, and Tayton Conerway remains off as well. Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic is OUT.
Enright, Wilkerson, Dorn, DeVries, and Alexis will start for Indiana.

Game Day Essentials:

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”