Illinois Basketball: 3 observations from the Illini loss to Iowa

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IOWA CITY. IA- FEBRUARY 02: Illinois center Kofi Cockburn (21) tries to handle the ball as Iowa forward Luka Garza (55) looks on during a Big Ten Conference basketball game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City Ia, on February 02, 2020. Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Iowa played better

The game on Sunday featured two top 25 programs that played their butts off and entertained the masses. This was a great game for anyone who loves basketball. But, sometimes, the opposing team just plays better.

I think this was the case on Sunday. Iowa was just the better team and there wasn’t much we could do about it. They beat the Illini in just about every facet of the game.

Let’s start off with shooting. The Hawkeyes were 25-of-50 (50-percent) from the field while the Illini only managed to shoot 24-of-58 (41.1-percent). Iowa was better from deep too. They were 10-of-23 (43.5-percent) from the three-point arc while Illinois only hit 8-of-22 (36.4-percent) of their long-range shots.

Iowa came into this game with a big home-court advantage too. They only had 15 fouls compared to Illinois’ 19 fouls. The Illini also shot six less free throws than Iowa, which makes a difference too. The more chances you get, the more points you will score.

dark. Next. Illini MVP of the game against Iowa

But, overall, I think Iowa just played a little better than Illinois. This happens to every team. There was a game or two during the Illini seven-game winning streak where I thought we were outplayed but still won. It just caught up to us in this game against the Hawkeyes.

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