Big Ten Basketball: Indiana ends losing streak with win over Illinois

Indiana snapped their three game losing streak and 0-2 start in Big Ten basketball play with a victory over Illinois in Bloomington.

After two losses to Nebraska and Wisconsin to begin Big Ten play, and a neutral site disappointment against Louisville, it seemed like the sky was falling for Tom Crean and the Indiana Hoosiers.

But Indiana shifted the perception of their team back to reality, as they cruised past the Illinois Fighting Illini, 96-80, at Assembly Hall on Saturday evening.

The Hoosiers were led by James Blackmon Jr., who scored 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and Thomas Bryant, who dropped 20 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field. Robert Johnson added 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and OG Anunoby hit double figures with 12 points.

While the Hoosiers still turned the ball over 12 times and struggled a bit defensively in the second half, Indiana shot lights out and showed renewed energy and effort on the defensive end of the floor for the majority of the evening.

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The Hoosiers are tough to beat, especially at home, when they’re drilling threes on a consistent basis. On Saturday, Indiana nailed 13-of-25 trifectas (52 percent), which helped them shoot an overall percentage of 59 from the field. Blackmon and Johnson hit a combined seven treys and Bryant was 2-of-2 himself.

On defense, Indiana locked down Illinois for the first six and a half minutes. The Fighting Illini didn’t convert a single field goal during that period of time and scored only two total points. Indiana jumped out to a 13-0 lead and would never surrender.

Thanks to the play of Jalen Coleman-Lands (21 points), Illinois cut the lead down to nine late in the second half. But John Groce’s team just couldn’t get enough stops down the stretch, resulting in a 16-point victory for the Hoosiers.

Illinois shot 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from three, but they had only 11 assists to Indiana’s 22 (!).

This game may be a sign of things to come for the Hoosiers. While it’s very unlikely for them to win the Big Ten and they do have their fair share of issues, this is still a highly talented team that is one of the most potent offensive units in the country when they’re clicking. As I mentioned weeks ago, Indiana can beat any team in the nation if they’re hitting their threes, but they can also lose to anybody if they’re not efficient offensively.

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Illinois is a good basketball team that would be in the NCAA Tournament if the season were to end today. This is a quality win for the Hoosiers, while Groce and company just caught Indiana at the wrong place and the wrong time.

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