Indiana Basketball's Size, Shooting Falter at Illinois. IU Still 'An NCAA Tournament Team'

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The score already decided and the air filled with chants of "Hoosier Daddy" from the orange-and-blue-striped crowd inside State Farm Center, Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler gave Illini fans one last reason to rumble.

Wagler drove to the rim, tossed a difficult, if not circus-level reverse layup that rested atop the backboard, spun forward and elegantly fell through the net. Fans erupted. Several Illinois players rose to their feet and stretched out their arms, matching the crowd's amusement of Wagler's acrobatic finish.

Indiana basketball coach Darian DeVries had no reaction. No hand gestures. No dramatic expression of frustration as he watched the final moments unfold from a disappointing Sunday afternoon. Illinois had too much skill, too much persistence and too many horses in its stable. Indiana didn't have enough of any.

The Hoosiers (17-9, 8-7 Big Ten) entered Champaign as winners of five of their past six games. They left with a humbling 71-51 loss to Illinois (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) on Sunday at State Farm Center — and perhaps a sobering reminder of where they stand entering the final five games of Big Ten play.

Indiana scored a season-low 51 points and slumped through one of its worst shooting performances of the year, connecting on 40.8% of its field goals while going 6 of 24 from beyond the arc. The Hoosiers, who trailed by only 7 points at halftime and appeared within striking distance, mustered a miniscule 20 second-half points.

"I actually thought we had some really good possessions," DeVries said postgame. "Got some pretty clean looks by guys we want taking them and we didn't make them."

The Hoosiers' six 3-pointers tied for their fourth fewest this season, while their 25% clip from distance tied for their fourth worst. Sixth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, who scored a team-high 21 points, and fifth-year senior forward Tucker DeVries combined to shoot 5 of 14 from beyond the arc.

The rest of the team went only 1 of 10 from distance.

"I thought our shot selection from three was really good," Darian DeVries said. "We had some great opportunities. We had a couple late shot clock ones that are just whatever — we had to get something up at the rim. But the ones we took within possession were good looks. Just didn't knock them down."

Indiana needed a strong shooting day. Illinois has allowed high-major teams to shoot 35% or better from distance in seven games this season, and the Fighting Illini have lost four of them. The Hoosiers, who have built an identity in taking — and making — 3-pointers, figured to have the collection of pieces necessary to follow the blueprint.

But shots didn't fall, and Indiana's chance at an advantage directly correlated to its biggest disadvantage.

Illinois is the nation's tallest team, with the average height of its lineup measuring 79.8 inches. Indiana, conversely, averages 78 inches, making it the 83rd-tallest program.

DeVries said the Hoosiers knew rebounding was part of any path to victory Sunday afternoon. Illinois is one of the country's best rebounding teams, aided heavily by their size but also their physicality and effort.

Indiana had little answer. Illinois won the rebounding battle 38-25 and collected 17 second-chance points to the Hoosiers' 5.

"If we were going to stay with them, we were going to have to limit that," DeVries said. "I thought as the game wore on, they wore into us a little bit and those opportunities became too many."

Indiana and Illinois are two of the Big Ten's most prolific 3-point shooting teams. Illinois entered Sunday leading the conference in makes (290) and attempts (815), while Indiana ranked fourth in makes (266) and third in attempts (764).

Neither team shot well Sunday. They combined to go 13-for-55 shooting from distance.

Missed shots naturally favored the bigger, stronger Fighting Illini. So did long rebounds, a byproduct of 3-pointers that clanked off the rim and extended outside the paint. Illinois, DeVries said, has tremendous habits after missed shots, as it forcefully pursues the ball and often wins in 50/50 scenarios.

Size helps, too. The Fighting Illini gave minutes to seven players Sunday. Four measured 6-foot-9 or taller.

"There's a few of them where they come off long and you've got 6-foot-10, 7-foot everywhere, where they're able to just grab it over the top of you," DeVries said. "(The tall players) are a reason why they're one of the best teams in the country, and I think you saw a lot of that today."

Indiana also saw the caliber of team it ultimately hopes to become under DeVries, and the depth of the margin between itself and the sport's title contenders.

Before the game, Illinois displayed markers of the quality of its program on the State Farm Center video boards. The Fighting Illini have won more Big Ten games over the past seven seasons than anyone else in the conference, and they're one of three Division I teams to win 20-plus games in the same span.

Illinois has sustained success, and a high level of it. Indiana saw why Sunday.

The Fighting Illini kept the Hoosiers from playing their style. Indiana couldn't play fast nor capitalize on broken floors in transition, which DeVries said was its best opportunity to overcome Illinois' size. In the halfcourt, the Hoosiers were forced to play against a set defense, and the Fighting Illini's size and length proved overwhelming.

The result? A 20-point loss, Indiana's worst since Jan. 13 and second worst of the season.

Sunday was a painful mile-marker in the Hoosiers' first season under DeVries. Illinois is ranked No. 8 in the polls and No. 7 in the NET, and the Fighting Illini have the ingredients to make a deep run in March.

The Hoosiers aren't quite there yet.

Indiana reinvigorated belief after winning five of six games entering Sunday, a stretch including Quad 1 wins over Purdue and UCLA. The Hoosiers have a quality resume, and they've played their way into a strong March Madness position entering the closing stretch — which, by and large, is a successful first season for DeVries.

The foundation is being set. Sunday showed the next step toward building a contender. There's disappointment, not discouragement — and Illinois coach Brad Underwood believes the Hoosiers have plenty of brighter days in their immediate future.

"A team that's very, very good," Underwood said postgame. "A team that's an NCAA Tournament team."

But on Sunday, Indiana learned the difference between an NCAA Tournament team and an NCAA Tournament contender. The margin showed in size, rebounding and depth of scorers. Illinois had a bountiful harvest of all three. Indiana had a lightly stocked cupboard.

The Hoosiers still have bigger games ahead. They'll take with them lessons from Sunday's loss — perhaps the biggest centered around the level, and pieces, required to compete against the nation's best teams.