The Illinois basketball team made such a great comeback in the second half only to lose to Maryland 92-91.
There are a lot of people down on the Illini right now. I understand the frustration of losing three games in a row, and the potential to miss a fifth straight NCAA tournament is real. I want to win and I am sick of losing as well. This is way too proud of a program to not go dancing come March.
Illinois had some good and bad from the loss to Maryland. Some of the bad were the starting five for the Illini. They were terrible early on in the game and this got the team into a hole immediately. Illinois needs to start off better if they want to win games in the future.
The Illini also had a lot of good in this game as well. Aaron Jordan continued his great play going 3-of-5 from the three-point arc and scoring 15 points for the game. He is a true joy to watch because he brings a great energy and spirit to the game.
Illinois fans can take away many things from this game against the Terrapins. Here are my four takeaways from the loss to Maryland.