The Illinois Fighting Illini wouldn’t go quietly, but eventually faltered in a 75-65 loss to the No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers.
The Fighting Illini team that has played well on the road this year actually led by three heading into halftime against Purdue.
The second half was a different story, as Purdue’s offense finally started to hum.
Illinois had no answer for guard Robbie Hummel, who finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Head coach Bruce Weber said it’s hard to defend Purdue because they are so balanced in their scoring.
Friday, February 26, 2010 at 7:26 pm by steve
The Illinois Fighting Illini didn’t look ready to play in a 72-53 loss to the No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Illinois had just stunned Wisconsin on the road earlier in the week, and it looked like they were still riding high from that victory.
They forgot to show up against an Ohio State team that has been rolling through everyone over the past month.
It was the first time Illinois lost in six games, but it was very costly, as it dropped them a game behind the leaders in the Big 10.
Demetri McCamey led the Illini with just nine points on 2-9 shooting, which tells you what kind of a day it was for the home team.
Friday, February 19, 2010 at 4:27 pm by steve
The Illinois Fighting Illini stunned the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center for a 63-56 win.
The victory puts Illinois into an improbable first-place tie with the Michigan State Spartans in the Big 10.
Illinois trailed by double-digits much of the first half and looked like they didn’t have a chance to upset the Badgers.
By halftime, Illinois had crawled back into the game and they had control for much of the second half.
Beating Wisconsin at home is no easy task, as the Badgers have not lost very often to unranked teams at the Kohl Center.
Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 6:00 pm by steve
If they want to make the NCAA Tournament in March, the Illinois Fighting Illini can’t afford to lose games they’re supposed to win. A trip to Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes qualifies as one of those games.
And despite a late-game surge by the hosts, the Illini were able to hold on for a 57-49 win on Wednesday night. After leading comfortably throughout the game, Iowa cut the lead to just three points late in the contest and had a chance to tie before falling short.
Demetri McCamey turned in an impressive all-around effort for the Illini, leading the team with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Mike Tisdale added 14 points, and defensively they held the Hawkeyes to just 29 percent shooting.
With the win, Illinois moves to 7-3 in the Big 10. A showdown with first-place Michigan State looms on Saturday, a game for which the dynamic has completely changed due to the injury sustained by the Spartans’ Kailin Lucas, who isn’t expected to play.
Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 9:47 am by Raj Sethi
