Indiana Basketball Falls To Illinois: 3 Takeaways

Indiana basketball’s loss to Illinois on Tuesday night was one of the worst in program history. Read more for 3 takeaways.

Indiana was defeated by Illinois, 94-69 on Tuesday night in Bloomington and there aren’t many words to describe this game for the Hoosiers other than embarrassing. They were slow from the start and it felt like they couldn’t manage to do even one thing right.

What started out as a packed Assembly Hall filled with fans excited to watch a big conference match-up ended with a pretty much empty arena and scuffle between the two teams-not to mention the almost 30-point differential between the winner and the loser. It was an incredible performance for Illinois, but quite the opposite for Indiana basketball.

Takeaway #1: Illinois is legit

If there was ever any question of whether Illinois was a good team or not, the answer is clear after their showing against Indiana. As the away team played a conference opponent in Assembly Hall, they won by almost 30 points. At halftime, the score was 60-32 with Illinois in the lead. After a similar start to the second half, it was clear that Indiana stood no chance as Illinois dominated the whole game. The Fighting Illini had four players posting double-digit scoring numbers. Kylan Boswell led the way in scoring with 22 points. Also notable is Tomislav Ivisic’s double-double, providing 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Illinois came out hot and never faltered in the game against Indiana. Not only did they win by 25 points, but they were the visiting team. Their performance was incredibly impressive and there is no doubt that they will give other conference opponents a hard time going into the rest of the season.

Takeaway #2: A drastic change needs to happen for Indiana

Indiana’s performance on Wednesday night was a historically bad one. For starters, the Hoosiers gave up 60 points in the first half and they shot 22% from the free throw line. Even more detrimentally, they gave up 51 rebounds in total. And yes, 7’0 Oumar Ballo and 6’9 Mackenzie Mgbako were playing in the game against Illinois.

In total, Indiana had 37 rebounds, 11 of these coming from Oumar Ballo. Ballo was also the leading scorer for the Hoosiers with 16 points, but these stats are not what defined his game.

With about two minutes left to play, there was an on-court scuffle sparked by Luke Goode’s interaction with former Illinois teammate Tomislav Ivisic that ultimately led to Ballo being ejected from the game and sent back to the locker room. Trey Galloway and Myles Rice were also involved and it took the refs and multiple coaches from both teams to break it up. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the game, the two teams did not shake hands. There were a couple of waves across the court, but they very quickly went back to the locker rooms. The shots were not falling, the effort was not there, and then to top it all off their temper got the best of a couple of Indiana players.

Other than the huge loss at home, there was something else off on Tuesday night at Assembly Hall and that was the fans. Originally, the crowd was excited to be there at such a big game, but it did not take long for that excitement to wear off. The “fire Woodson” chants were so loud that people watching from home could hear it on their TVs. Not only that but when the buzzer sounded for halftime, the Hoosiers were met with loud “boos” that lasted until the team was back in the locker room. Most fans gave up then and with about five minutes left in the second half the arena was almost empty.

Takeaway #3: Goode and Leal haven’t quit yet

Possibly the only impressive thing for Indiana to come out of Tuesday’s game was Luke Goode and Anthony Leal’s post-game press conference. Luke Goode, who transferred from Illinois after last season, explained how he handled the situation with both his current and former team.

“I think it got blown way out of proportion. You know I went and talked to the Illinois staff after and said that I had no bad intentions it was simply a box out…I don’t think Ballo reacted in the right way. He stood up for me, Myles stood up for me, and I really appreciate that that’s what a team looks like,” said Goode.

Anthony Leal commented on how the team needs to work on providing more effort during their games.

“It really doesn’t matter what we do if we’re not gonna do it hard with effort and toughness and I think that’s what it comes down to. Obviously they have some really talented players on their team, they’re a good team, but we know that we’re talented and that we’re a good team as well we just aren’t matching anybody’s toughness or togetherness or effort right now and I think that’s the problem,” said Leal.

Growing up in Indiana, both Goode and Leal know that the team needs to wear the cream and crimson jerseys with pride. They acknowledged that they got embarrassed, but that the program is too historical to be represented in the way it has been the past two games.

Goode provided 13 points for the Hoosiers and Leal contributed 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Up next for Indiana (13-5, 4-3): at Ohio State (10-7, 2-4) – Jan. 17 at 8 p.m.

Up next for Illinois (13-4, 5-2): at No. 12 Michigan State (15-2, 6-0) – Jan. 19 at Noon