Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Indiana, again
By Collin Allen
3. Another tale of two halves
“A tale of two halves” has been a recurring theme for the Illini this season. The Orange and Blue have seemingly been a second half team, as they’ve often struggled to start games off well.
The Illini have trailed by as many as 14 points in three games of conference play so far this season.
On Tuesday night, Illinois once again started slowly. The Orange and Blue would allow the Hoosiers to score 41 points, shooting 60-percent from three-point range and nearly 50-percent from the field in the first half.
Illinois would ultimately go into halftime trailing Indiana by seven points, allowing the Hoosiers to end the first half on a 13-3 run.
The second half wasn’t pretty by any means, but the Illini eventually stepped their game up thanks to a much more aggressive defensive play. The Orange and Blue would hold the Hoosiers to 8-of-25 shooting from the field, which comes out to 32-percent, throughout the remainder of the contest. They would also hold Indiana to only one successful three-point attempt.
After a slow first half, the Illini would ultimately outscore the Hoosiers 41-30 throughout the remainder of the game.