Indiana will try to bounce back from a 64-62 loss at Northwestern when it hosts Illinois on Saturday at Assembly Hall. The Fighting Illini are 17-8 overall and 8-6 in Big Ten play.
Saturdayโs game will tip at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN:
Indiana has to put the sting of Wednesdayโs narrow loss at Welsh-Ryan Arena in the rearview mirror quickly. An unrelenting Big Ten schedule now turns the page to a rematch with Illinois in Bloomington.
The home game on Saturday against the Illini is the only home contest in a five-game stretch for the Hoosiers. The four road games in this stretch are all against teams currently in the top nine of the league standings (Michigan, Northwestern, Michigan State and Purdue).
Illinois has lost two of its last three games, including a 93-81 loss at Penn State on Valentineโs Day. But in terms of talent and upside, the Illini have the pieces to compete with any team in the conference. And after Indianaโs performance against Illinois back on Jan. 19 at the State Farm, Brad Underwoodโs team will be hungry to even the season series.
THE FIRST MEETING
In one of its most impressive performances this season, Indiana routed Illinois 80-65 last month in Champaign.
It was an excellent defensive performance by the Hoosiers. Indiana held Illinois to just 40.6 percent shooting on 2s. Entering the game, Illinois was on a four-game winning streak and had scored 75 or more points in each of those contests. It was the second straight encouraging defensive performance by Indiana after holding Wisconsin to only 45 points and .717 points per possession just five days earlier.
Offensively, the game was defined by Brad Underwoodโs decision to play Trayce Jackson-Davis straight up. Jackson-Davis had his way against Dain Dainja and by the final buzzer, he had 35 points on 15-for-19 shooting from the field.
โThey didnโt send the double,โ Jackson-Davis said afterward. โSo I had to make โem pay.โ
Indiana outscored Illinois 54-32 in the paint and it was a major reason the Hoosiers won easily despite shooting only 3-for-9 on 3-pointers. Indiana shot 67.4 percent on 2s in the first meeting, a mark that is unlikely to be repeated.
Overall, the frontcourt from Illinois really struggled against Indiana in Champaign. Matthew Mayer, who was battling an illness, went scoreless in 22 minutes. Dainja shot 4-for-8 from the field and 1-for-4 from the free throw line. And Coleman Hawkins was just 1-for-4 on 3s.
Free throw shooting also…