What we learned from Minnesota's hard-fought loss at No. 13 Illinois

The Gophers gave the Fighting Illini all they could handle on Saturday morning.

Jan 17, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Cade Tyson (10) drives the ball around Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The Gophers went into Champaign, Illinois, for an early 11 a.m. CT tip-off on Saturday and stuck with the Fighting Illini for the first 30 minutes of the game. Illinois' depth proved to be too much for the short-handed Gophers to handle in a 77-67 loss. Here's what we learned.

Not being intimidated on the road

Today was Minnesota's fourth true road game of the season. They've been betting underdogs by at least 5.5 points in all four games, but they've never trailed by more than three points at halftime. They collapsed in the second-half against Missouri and Purdue, but they've been ready to play in all four games.

This team continues to punch well above its weight, and Saturday's performance was just more evidence. Playing on the road in college basketball is not easy, but Minnesota's coaching staff continues to have the team prepared for every moment.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson's hot start

Crocker-Johnson's 20 points on Tuesday against Wisconsin were his second-most in a game this season. He carried the momentum into Saturday's game, scoring the first 11 points of the game for Minnesota. He continues to evolve his offensive game every time he steps on the floor. He finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds on 8 of 18 shooting from the field. He has shattered the expectations he had following Niko Medved from Colorado State. With another year of eligibility remaining after 2025-26, he could be a building block on next year's team as well.

20 pts for Crock 🐊

Career High Threes 👀

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/qpaWrjhPeI

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) January 17, 2026

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Another quiet game from Cade Tyson

After a red-hot start to the season, Tyson has plateaued a bit offensively. Today was his fourth time with less than 20 points in Minnesota's last seven games. He's near the top of the scouting report every time he steps on the floor. He finished with 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the field, and he played objectively well. He just might not be the consistent 20-point-per-game scorer we saw earlier this season.

Lack of frontcourt depth

Crocker-Johnson was tremendous offensively, but he struggled with foul trouble again, and Minnesota's frontcourt was tested defensively. Illinois big man Zvonimir Ivisic was dominant with 18 points and 9 rebounds, and they out-rebounded the Gophers 42-31. It was evident they were missing Robert Vaihola. Grayson Grove provided 11 hard minutes off the bench, but it was another game where Central Arkansas transfer Nehemiah Turner did not see the floor. Improving their frontcourt should be near the top of their needs this offseason.