COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Illinois looks to bounce back from humbling loss

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CHAMPAIGN — Playing one of the best teams in the country on the national stage didn’t turn out very well for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Duke Blue Devils had seven players score in double figures as they waltz past Illinois 110-67 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

“Humbling,’’ said Illinois coach Brad Underwood on Monday as his team prepares to play the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight at the State Farm Center. “It was not a fun trip, but a learning trip.

“A night that I won’t soon forget, but I hope the players do.’’

And why does he want the players to forget?

Because tonight’s game against for Illinois (17-11 overall, 9-8 in the Big Ten) against Iowa (15-12 overall, 6-10 in the Big Ten) is a good way to get that awful taste from Saturday night out of of their mouths.

“It was obviously not our best night, but it’s night we have to bounce back from, a night we have to learn from,’’ Underwood said. “We get Iowa, who has two of the premier wing players in the conference in (Josh) Dix and (Payton) Sandfort. Both of those guys are elite scorers.’’

That combination of Dix and Sandfort is averaging more than 30 points per fame for Iowa.

And defense has been a problem lately for Illinois, giving up 284 points in three straight losses. That’s an average of 94.7 points per game allowed.

“I think our defensive problems has been about a lack of practice and having guys in those practices,’’ said Underwood, noting that Tomislav Ivisic has been a limited practice participant because of mono and a twisted ankle and freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. has missed the last week with a broken wrist.

“You don’t replace 6-9 and 250 (pounds),’’ said Underwood about Johnson. “There is no one that we can replace that with.

“Ivisic is the quarterback of our defense. He makes all of the calls on the screens. Without him in practice, we have been able to change things up.’’

Good news for Illinois, it seems like most of the players that have been…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/college-basketball-illinois-looks-bounce-201900301.html

Author : Commercial-News, Danville, Ill.

Publish date : 2025-02-25 20:19:00

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