Illinois basketball had a heartbreaking loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday afternoon.
It was a brutal end to what was an intense game. I don’t think the Illini could have played any worse than they did on Friday, but we still had a shot to win the game.
After a contested layup that didn’t go in by Andre Curbelo, Indiana missed the front end of the second free throw, which essentially ended the game. Illinois couldn’t get the rebound with 1.8 seconds left, and this would give Indiana the win, 65-63.
Here are five observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Indiana.
1. Coleman Hawkins tried to save Illinois
There were very few bright spots for the Illinois basketball team on Friday afternoon. It was a painful watch at times, but there was one player who really shined bright.
Coleman Hawkins has had an up and down season. For roughly the first half of the year, he looked a little lost on the court and like the game was moving too fast for him. The bad play would send the kid back to the bench after Brad Underwood had him starting early on.
But, over the past couple of months, Hawkins has been improving. The game slowed down, and he is becoming a smarter more well-rounded big man. He has tremendous size and athletic ability, and now he has the game upstairs to match.
On Friday, Hawkins continued his ascent to the top of the Illinois basketball roster. He finished the Indiana game with 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range. He only had one turnover and zero fouls on the day as well.
The fact Hawkins was able to put up the numbers he did on Friday was impressive. When you think of the players who needed to put up points for Illinois to compete, you think of three or four other players before you get to Hawkins. But he is quickly turning into an Illini go-to guy. If he can put up this type of production in the NCAA tournament, then there is no question we can go deep.