Without the services of Jerome Hunter due to a “Coach’s Decision,” Indiana battled against No. 12 Illinois in an overtime battle on Tuesday evening. Indiana nursed a lead in the first half with the help of the sophomore duo Armaan Franklin and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Even without Illinois’ best player Ayo Dosunmu, the Illini took the road win in Assembly Hall against a sputtering Indiana offense in the overtime segment. Indiana still hasn’t solved the lineup strategy mystery, especially with a shortened bench without Hunter and Brunk.
Here are the best lineups from Tuesday’s game.

Notes:
- The quintet of Lander, Franklin, Galloway, Thompson, and Jackson-Davis led the way for IU in their four-point OT loss to Illinois. They outscored the Illini 14-5 in 4:32 of playing time.
- The foursome of Lander, Franklin, Thompson, and Jackson-Davis have really come on strong lately for IU. They played very well together vs. Stanford in Asheville, but Archie Miller didn’t play them together much after that, understandable due to Lander’s struggles. The key for Miller is to find the fifth piece that works well with that unit. Against Rutgers, it was Leal. Against Illinois, it was Galloway.
- In the first half, the four freshmen played together with Race Thompson for a 2:46 stretch, in which IU outscored Illinois 5-3. They didn’t see the floor together again. Lander, Leal, Galloway, and Geronimo had not played together since the Tennessee Tech game, when that quartet went +9. Given their collective skillset, Miller may want to play them together more often.
- Although he hit a big shot at the end of regulation, Armaan Franklin had a tough game, according to the numbers. He finished -7, and the IU offense had its toughest time with him on the floor. In his 34:36, Indiana scored 48 points, or 1.39 points per minute (PPM). In the 10:24 he was on the bench, IU scored 23 points, or 2.21 PPM.
Featured Photo: Indiana University Athletics