Illinois Basketball: “Complete lack of leadership” dooms Illini against Penn State

A 40-point combined performance from Jalen Pickett and Andrew Funk propelled Penn State to a 74-59 upset over the Illinois basketball team.

After upsetting No. 2 Texas at Madison Square Garden, the Illini rode a surge of momentum entering Saturday morning’s contest at the State Farm Center. Unfortunately, the Orange and Blue fanbase wouldn’t have much to cheer about as the Nittany Lions pulled off an early-season road upset, 74-59.

Both teams now sit at 7-3 overall, as Penn State evened its Big Ten mark at 1-1 and Illinois fell to 0-2.

Led by the masterful performance from Pickett and Funk, Penn State’s superstars controlled the tempo from the opening tip, combining for 40 points, with Funk going 6-of-9 from three-point range, certainly not letting the Illini get him into a funk if you will.

The Illini could not capitalize on any momentum after halftime, as they trailed by nine entering the break. After Matthew Mayer led Illinois in scoring with 14 points in the opening half, he was held to zero in the second half, as the Nittany Lions defense forced 12 Illini turnovers. Penn State never trailed again after taking the lead with under five minutes left in the first half. Its largest lead was 19 points.

The loss marked a rare home letdown for a team still itching for a defense of its Big Ten regular season title. Brad Underwood was less than pleased with the effort of his group, offering some choice words after the game, he said.

"“We’re gonna have nights like this with an extremely young team,” Underwood said. “I think we’re the second youngest in the Power 5. I’ve known these nights were coming. I can live with all of that, except for the complete lack of leadership and the complete lack of effort that was given today.”"

What is next for the Illinois basketball team after losing back-to-back conference games?

Underwood alluded to the fact that this upcoming week is the toughest of the season from a practice perspective, as the players will transition into finals week ahead of a nonconference tilt with Alabama A&M on December 17 at 3 p.m. CT.

As the New Year approaches, the Big Ten looks as wide-open as ever, and it will be interesting to see how the Illini respond.