Illinois 88 Purdue 80

Illinois goes on late run to defeat Purdue

Purdue fell down 7 early but came back to lead most of the first half. Illinois went on a fury to close the first half with 9 straight points in the final 1:13, cutting Purdue’s lead to 42-40 at half.

Illinois had a similar 2nd half, falling behind 10 midway through the second half. They followed that with a 10-0 run. In the closing minutes, Purdue went cold, missing their final 6 shots. Meanwhile Illinois caught fire again with a 13-1 run in the final two minutes to put the game out of reach.

Key Stats

Purdue had an efficient game in the post, scoring 44 points in the paint.

Both teams played efficiently with 5 or less turnovers each.

The foul discrepancy was significant. Illinois shot 25 free throws to Purdue’s 13.

Key Individual Performances

Illinois guard Tre White had 20 points and 9 rebounds.

Illinois forward Will Riley poured in 22 points and was a perfect 6 for 6 from the line.

Purdue point guard Braden Smith nearly completed his first-ever triple-double. Smith ended the night with 18 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds. He had nearly 3 minutes at the end of the game to grab one more rebound but just fell short.

What it means

Illinois finishes the regular season on a 3-game winning streak and looks strong and healthy going into post-season play. We project them at a 7-seed with a good chance of moving up to a 6 after the Big Ten Tournament.

Purdue all but loses their chance at a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. They still remain on the 4-seed line in the NCAA Tournament.

Both teams can now rest up for their first games in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday.

Other Notables

The Illinois crowd was raucious. There was an ugly incident involving Illinois fans directing racist slurs at Purdue center Trey Kaufman-Renn’s family. Purdue is expected to file a report with the Big Ten over the incident.