Indiana suffered its second straight 25-point loss, falling 94-69 to Illinois on Tuesday at Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor. The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 13-5 total and 4-3 within the Large Ten.
Listed here are 5 takeaways from the loss to the Illini:
Protection sinks Indiana within the first half
The Hoosiers have been aggressive within the opening minutes of Tuesday’s recreation in Meeting Corridor. After a Myles Rice layup, the Hoosiers trailed 10-8 with 17:08 to play.
However because the Illini went on a run, Indiana had no reply defensively. By the under-12 media timeout, a two-point Illinois lead had ballooned to fifteen. It could solely develop from there because the Illini stretched the result in 30 factors on a Kylan Boswell layup with 4:51 remaining.
Not like Saturday in Iowa Metropolis, the Hoosiers wouldn’t reply when the opponent threw an preliminary punch.
Regardless of taking pictures lower than 50 p.c within the first half, Illinois scored 60 factors. Within the opening 20 minutes, the Illini went 8-for-19 on 3s, 10-for-12 from the free-throw line and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, which changed into 17 second-chance factors.
The 28-point halftime deficit for the Hoosiers was the biggest for Indiana in a house recreation within the final 25 seasons.
Struggles proceed for Mackenzie Mgbako
For the third straight recreation, Indiana sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako failed to succeed in double figures.
The 6-foot-9 ahead from Gladstone, New Jersey, shot 1-for-10 from the sphere and completed with 4 factors in 19 minutes.
It was additionally the third straight recreation during which Mgbako performed lower than 20 minutes.
Over the past three video games, Mgbako is 3-for-24 from the sphere total and 0-for-11 on 3-pointers. He’s averaging 3.3 factors and 4.3 rebounds within the earlier three contests.
Though Mgbako continues to be taking pictures 50 p.c on 2s and 36.4 p.c on 3s for the season, his numbers have cratered towards Large Ten opponents. He’s taking pictures simply 36.1 p.c on 2s and 26.7 p.c on 3s in convention video games.
Indiana’s 3-point taking pictures continues to regress
After taking pictures 12-for-27 on 3s towards Rutgers and 9-for-23 towards Penn State, Indiana’s 3-point taking pictures has taken a major step again within the final three video games.
The Hoosiers shot simply 4-for-18 (22.2 p.c) in Tuesday’s loss to Illinois. That adopted a 4-for-16 (25 p.c) efficiency towards Iowa and a 6-for-21 (28.6 p.c) mark towards USC.
Within the final three video games, Indiana is 14-for-55 from past the arc, simply 25.4 p.c.
By way of 18 video games, the Hoosiers now rank 274th nationally in 3-point taking pictures share at 31.4. That might be the bottom 3-point taking pictures share for an IU workforce because the 2018-19 season, when the Hoosiers shot 31.2 p.c from distance.
In Large Ten play, IU is making simply 30.5 p.c of its 3-pointers, which ranks thirteenth within the convention.
Indiana falls to 1-5 in Quad 1 video games
By way of its first two video games of 11 straight towards contests thought-about Quad 1 for NCAA event functions, Indiana has a pair of 25-point losses.
Every of IU’s 5 losses have come by not less than 16 factors and the common margin of defeat for IU this season is 22.2 factors.
The highway solely turns into harder from right here. On Friday, Indiana travels to Ohio State. The Buckeyes desperately want a win after beginning Large Ten play 2-4. On Tuesday night time, Ohio State fell 70-68 to Wisconsin on the Kohl Middle.
After that, Indiana travels to Northwestern subsequent Wednesday. The Wildcats have had IU’s quantity in current seasons. The Hoosiers haven’t overwhelmed Northwestern because the 2020-21 season, Archie Miller’s final in Bloomington.
Total, 4 of Indiana’s subsequent 5 video games are on the highway. The Hoosiers are 2-4 total in video games away from Meeting Corridor this season.
Kasparas Jakucionis is dominant in return from a two-game absence
Illinois freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis confirmed no rust after lacking the final two video games with a forearm harm.
The 6-foot-6 guard from Lithuania scored 19 of his 21 factors within the first half of Tuesday’s win for the Illini.
A projected lottery choose in June’s NBA draft, Jakucionis completed with 21 factors, 5 assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes.
He shot 7-for-13 from the sphere, together with 3-for-7 on 3s, and 4-for-5 from the free throw line.
After Saturday’s gorgeous loss to USC on the State Farm Middle, the win saved Illinois within the hunt for the Large Ten title. The Illini, a high 10 workforce nationally in KenPom, stay simply two video games again of Michigan and Michigan State within the loss column of the convention standings.
Filed to: Illinois Combating Illini
