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Illinois (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten) on Friday put together an impressive come-from-behind victory over No. 20 Purdue (21-10, 13-7 Big Ten), in which the Illini clawed back from a double-digit deficit to escape with an 88-80 win. Make that three wins in a row and legitimate momentum headed into the heart of March for a team that only a few weeks ago seemed to have lost its way.
But as with everything, there are two sides to every coin, a cloud with every silver lining, a thorn on every rose – take your pick. We made ours, and so without further ado:
Rose
Illinois proved it can close out games
One minute and 12 seconds remaining in Friday's game. Scored knotted at 79. Purdue ball. Coming out of a timeout, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter drew up a play and all signs pointed to an incoming score – and another deficit for the Illini to make up. But not only did Will Riley force a turnover on the possession, but Kasparas Jakucionis also then knocked down a step-back three to give his squad a lead it never returned.
With its youth on display all season, Illinois has struggled in late-game situations – notably at home against Tennessee and on the road against Nebraska and Michigan State. Few things better determine a team’s ability to make an NCAA Tournament run than the capacity to close out games. And after last week’s showing, it appears the Illini may have finally landed on a crunch-time formula.
Thorn
The Illini failed to make any defensive adjustments, and it almost proved fatal
After getting sliced and diced by Purdue lead guard Braden Smith and bullied by big man Trey Kaufman-Renn, the Illini were lucky to head into the break down only 42-40. Yet Illinois seemingly made minimal defensive adjustments to slow that duo's pick-and-roll attack. The result? A near triple-double for Smith, who finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists, and a game-high 29 points and seven boards for Kaufman-Renn.
Although the Illini still pulled out the win, they needed a bit of good fortune to lock it down, and unfortunately, luck is a finite and unpredictable resource. If Illinois and coach Brad Underwood aren't willing to make defensive alterations at any point in any game going into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, they risk getting bled dry by a single opponent or single action in what might otherwise be a winnable game.
More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:
KenPom's Metrics Are High on Illinois Basketball's NCAA Title Hopes
How Tre White Helped Illinois Basketball Send Purdue Packing
Illinois Basketball's Morez Johnson Jr. Cleared for Big Ten Tournament
More must-reads:
- Florida's repeat hopes bolstered with significant transfer portal addition
- Caitlin Clark reaches four more WNBA milestones, but Fever have work to do
- The 'Active NBA players with a double-double in a Game 7' quiz
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