CHAMPAIGN, IL – The Hoosiers continue their high level of play for the third game in a row with a convincing win against rival Illinois 92-74 on the road. Indiana still does not control its own destiny when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, but each win like this will bolster their resume and make it harder for the selection committee to ignore them on Selection Sunday.
This was the first time in several months that the Hoosiers put on an offensive clinic. The last time they broke 90 points was against Jacksonville on December 22, 2018 and this is the second time this season they surpassed 90 against a Quadrant 1 match-up with Marquette being the other game.
The Hoosiers broke out to an early lead in Champaign while taking control of the paint on both ends of the court. Juwan Morgan led both teams in both points at 20, and rebounds with 9. Illinois did not have an answer for his size and length the entire game, and thus the Hoosiers went to him early and often.
Not only did Juwan put together an impressive showing, 4 other Hoosiers broke into double-digit scoring. Smith, Romeo, Phinisee, and Green scoring over 10 allowed IU to spread the Illini defense very thin and enabled easy shot after easy shot from down low and deep.
Phinisee had one of his best games of the season showing impressive ball-control and commanding the offense and defense with poise. He added 5 assists and a rebound along with his 17 points.
Despite this impressive offensive showing, the Indiana defense did not have its best game – allowing Illinois to an impressive 50% FG compared to the Hoosier 55.4%. This was an improvement from Michigan State’s 54.2% last week, but there is still room to further our defensive capabilities prior to Big Ten Tournament (and potential post season play). Five Hoosiers and five Illini made it to double figure scoring tonight (Dosunmu, Jordan, Frazier, Feliz and Bezhanishvili). However, only 8 other points were scored by players other than these for the Illini. The Hoosiers had 19 points scored by players not reaching double-digit scoring.
