Another depressing Illinois basketball loss unfolded on Wednesday night to the hands of Minnesota.
This wasn’t an ugly game, for the most part. Illinois was keeping up with Minnesota for much of the night. Illinois jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead, but the Golden Gophers narrowed that gap and tied the game at 9-9.
No one could get a hold of this game. The score kept going back and forth between each team. Overall, there were 16 lead changes – 11 in favor of Illinois and five in favor of Minnesota – and nine ties throughout the first half. Trent Frazier ended up hitting a three-pointer as time expired to take the halftime lead, 39-37.
The Illini started strong in the second half. They got their lead up to five points with 16:08 left in the game. But, that is when Minnesota went on a tear. The Golden Gophers snagged the lead back with 14:29 left in the game and never looked back. Minnesota went on a 27-6 run, which extended their lead to 16 points. Illinois tried to fight back but couldn’t. The Illini ended up falling in the game to Minnesota, 86-75.
Here are five observations from the Illini loss to Minnesota.