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After falling behind 63-44 at the halftime break on Friday night, Illinois basketball was unable to claw back against Baylor, which ultimately prevailed 95-91 in Champaign. It was an exhibition matchup for the ages – if that’s a thing – and we learned a thing or two about the Illini from it.
Here are five key stats to know from the outing:
5 key stats from Illinois basketball’s exhibition loss to Baylor
Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood gets after his team Saturday, April 4, 2026, during a Final Four game against the UConn Huskies at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Baylor’s offensive rebounding rate: 56.4 percent
Where else to start? For one night at least, Baylor was more likely to rebound its own miss than Illinois – a squad that is perennially one of the best glass-cleaning units in the nation – was to grab it. Credit the Bears for crashing hard and utilizing their physical advantages.
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In the Illini’s defense, they were battered and bruised (though not for the entire game). At the end of the day, regardless of the players on the floor, there is no reality that should see Illinois get tossed around on the glass like that. Baylor’s 20 second-chance points ultimately won the game.
Quentin Coleman points + rebounds + assists: 31
Quentin Coleman came to Champaign with higher expectations than any freshman in a long time. Through two exhibition games, he has actually outplayed them. Coleman can shoot the cover off the ball – though he went just 2-for-8 from deep on Friday – gets to the rack with the best of them and is also an advanced facilitator.
But it’s not his talent that’s turning heads (although 20 points, seven rebounds and four dimes certainly was an attention-grabber) as much as it’s his unbelievable motor.
Coleman is the unusual star who delivers on everything that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, as well as all that does. He plays tremendously hard. He defends. He chases rebounds. He dives on the…
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Publish date : 2026-10-24 16:55:00
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