Takeaways as Illinois cruises past Iowa basketball in second half blowout

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Iowa (15-13, 6-11 Big Ten) made things interesting for a bit to close the first half, but the Hawkeyes couldn’t sustain that level of play after halftime in Champaign, Ill.

Illinois (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten) got right against Iowa in blowout fashion, toppling the Hawkeyes, 81-61. The Illini snapped a three-game losing streak in the process and delivered some of what they had been experiencing of late upon the Hawkeyes.

Entering Tuesday night, Illinois had dropped each of its past three by 14 points or more, including a 110-67 loss versus then-No. 3 Duke that represented the worst loss in Illini basketball history.

As the Hawkeyes fall, let’s dive into some of the takeaways for Iowa.

Iowa basketball couldn’t build upon the Washington win

Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) and Kasparas Jakucionis pressure Iowa Hawkeyes guard Brock Harding (2) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

While the past six weeks have been discouraging for the program, Iowa came into Tuesday night following one of its three wins during that stretch. Like the other two occasions before it, Iowa couldn’t find consecutive victories. The Hawkeyes are now 3-9 dating back to their Jan. 15 loss at USC.

Iowa didn’t slow down Tomislav Ivisic

Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) grabs a pass during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Iowa didn’t have defensive answers for Tomislav Ivisic. The 7-foot-1 center finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.

The Hawkeyes got off to a rough start, but rallied back before halftime

Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery reacts during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Iowa got off to a dreadful…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/takeaways-illinois-cruises-past-iowa-124544967.html

Author : Hawkeyes Wire

Publish date : 2025-02-26 12:45:00

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