Friday night was the first time since 2013 that a ranked Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team would host a ranked opponent in Champaign.
It appeared as if things were headed in the right direction for 20th ranked Illinois early, as they took a 14-point lead with 11:11 remaining in the first half. Things shortly took a left turn as the Illini fumbled a double-digit lead to the 9th ranked Maryland Terrapins for the second time this season.
The Illini played much of the first half short-handed as Trent Frazier sat the final 12 minutes on the bench after picking up his second foul. During that 12-minute span, Maryland went on a 28-18 run.
The second half was, perhaps, the worst basketball the Illini have played all season. They did not make their first field goal of the half until an Andres Feliz layup with 11:59 remaining in the game. The Illini shot 7 of 27 from the field (25.9%). Maryland’s zone defense gave Illinois’ offense much trouble as they settled for many contested three-point attempts (22) and contested layups.
“They went zone and we had some unfortunate and different lineups” Underwood told media afterwards (via @DPiper247, Twitter).
Here are three takeaways from the Illinois 66-75 loss in the battle for first place.
The Illini still cannot stop the zone
The lack of production from the Illini offense is what lost them this ballgame. When Maryland coach Mark Turgeon decided to switch from their man-man defense to a zone defense, Maryland turned their 14-point deficit into a two-point deficit to close out the first half. When the Illini went on that eight-minute field goal drought to start the second half, Maryland was running their zone defense. The Illini were forced to go 2-9 from beyond the arc and 5-18 from two-point range (via @sturdy32, Twitter).
Missed free-throws = Missed opportunities for Illinois
The Illini offense struggled mightily from the field, shooting 36.1% on the night. However, they were given plenty of opportunities to get points from the stripe. They failed to take advantage as they missed 10 free throws, shooting 14 of 24 from the line. Sophomore forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili missed all of his free-throw attempts, finishing the night 0-4. Very poor, but he shouldn’t carry all the blame. Center Kofi Cockburn missed three and guard Ayo Dosunmu missed two to contribute to the abysmal 58% free throw percentage for the game.
Kofi Cockburn continues to struggle
Kofi Cockburn has been dominating the Big Ten this season. Cockburn has won Big Ten Freshman of the Week seven times. Out of all Big Ten players, he ranks third in offensive rebounds, eighth in defensive rebounds, twelfth in blocked shots, fourth in FG %, and twelfth in scoring. However, Cockburn has not been the same problem for opponents during his last four games. Over his last four, Cockburn is averaging five less points and five less rebounds than his season average. The Illini have struggled to succeed without Cockburn’s dominance, as they have lost two of their last four.
The Illini battle Michigan State in front of another sold-out home crowd on Tuesday night. Both teams are currently tied for second place in the Big Ten.