CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Tuesday was a get-right game for Illinois at the State Farm Center. The Fighting Illini entered Tuesday having dropped three consecutive games, the latest of which was a blowout loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden. But they found more success against
Iowa basketball on Tuesday. The Fighting Illini didn’t trail for a single second of the contest on their way to an 81-61 win over the Hawkeyes. With the loss, Iowa drops to 15-13 overall, including 6-11 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes still have just one true road win all season. Iowa has still yet to secure a bid in the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa’s matchup with Northwestern on Friday could have major implications for the field.
Illinois’ second-half domination
Illinois jumped on Iowa early, leading by 13 points less than 10 minutes into the first half. To their credit, the Hawkeyes battled back. In a matter of minutes, Iowa swung back with an 11-0 run to cut its deficit to two. The Hawkeyes remained within striking distance and went into the break trailing by seven. But the second half was not close. Illinois outscored Iowa 44-31 after halftime. The Fighting Illini shot 57% from the field and 40% deep in the final 20 minutes. Because it got out to that slow start, Iowa was playing catch-up the entire night. That’s not a sustainable way to operate, especially in a tough road environment like Illinois. Tuesday's loss fit a recurring narrative for the Hawkeyes this season. Iowa can hang with good teams for about a half and then it loses control. That was the case against Iowa State, Purdue and Wisconsin at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, plus Ohio State, Maryland and now Illinois on the road.
Turnovers cost Iowa basketball vs Illinois
Iowa is among the best in the Big Ten when it comes to taking care of the ball this season. But that wasn’t the case on Tuesday. Averaging just 10 turnovers per game entering Tuesday, Iowa committed 16 against Illinois. The Fighting Illini turned that into 17 points off turnovers. Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini only turned the ball over five times.
Tomislav Ivisic and others gash the Hawkeyes
Iowa had few answers for the 7-foot-1 freshman. Ivisic entered Tuesday averaging 12.4 points per game. Against Iowa, he had 15 points in the first half alone and finished the game with 22 points. But it wasn’t just him. The Fighting Illini had three others in double-figures scoring. Kylan Boswell had 15, Will Riley added 15 and Tre White contributed 14.
Brock Harding moves back into starting lineup
Drew Thelwell has been dealing with an ankle injury. He started the last two games but played limited minutes and didn’t score in either game. Brock Harding, who has come off the bench and started at various points this season, moved back into the first five against Illinois. Harding played well for the Hawkeyes on Tuesday, finishing with a team-high 16 points, four assists and three rebounds. He did, however, have five turnovers. Harding is connected personally to Illinois. His brother, Brody, played baseball for the Fighting Illini. Brock Harding went to Moline High School in Illinois, where he won a state championship with Owen Freeman when they were seniors. Thelwell was in uniform but did not play.
Not enough from Payton Sandfort
A realistic formula for Iowa to win is having Josh Dix and
Payton Sandfort perform like stars while getting enough help from the supporting cast. Dix and Sandfort did their part in the two games leading up to Tuesday. They combined for 44 points against Oregon and 42 against Washington. They couldn’t replicate that against Illinois. Dix, who had 11 points, was good but not great. Sandfort struggled even more, finishing the game with seven points on 2-of-10 from the field. Sandfort scored at least 25 in each of the last two games but wasn't close to that on Tuesday. Iowa’s margin for error is thinner offensively without Freeman, meaning that the Hawkeyes are in trouble if Dix and Sandfort aren’t scoring at a high volume. That fed into Iowa’s offensive shortcomings as a unit Tuesday. The Hawkeyes shot just 42% from the field and 33% from deep against Illinois.
