Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Penn State

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 23: Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Brad Underwood talks with Big Ten referee Paul Szelc during a break int he action in the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 23, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Illinois basketball team had everything going right on Saturday except for the final score of the game.

This was supposed to be a great day for the Orange and Blue. The 1989 Final Four team was in town to be celebrated. This was a game that should have been a big win for the Illini. The final score didn’t show that, though.

Penn State pretty much controlled this game from the tip. The two teams kept the game close for a while. Just 10 minutes into the game, the Nittany Lions had a three-point lead at 22-19. They would then go on a run that Illinois couldn’t stop. With five minutes to go in the first half, Penn State extended their lead to 34-22. The Illini did fight back some. They made a free throw and Aaron Jordan drained a three-pointer to go into the halftime locker room down 39-32.

The second half was the same for a little while. Illinois would eventually get the score back to single-digits late in the game. The Illini made a nice run, but they couldn’t take over the lead. Illinois would end up falling to Penn State 83-76.

Here are five observations from the Illini loss to Penn State.

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