News Local/State

Hoosiers Beat Illini Men In Bloomington 78-68

By Rob McColley
 
Indiana forward Juwan Morgan blocks the shot of Illinois forward Greg Eboigbodin.

Indiana forward Juwan Morgan (13) blocks the shot of Illinois forward Greg Eboigbodin (11) in the first half of their game Wednesday night in Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Conroy/AP

Hot shooting, strong rebounding and balanced scoring helped Indiana beat the Illini men 78-68 last night in Bloomington.

Juwan Morgan, Aljami Durham & Robert Johnson all scored 14 points for the Hoosiers. Justin Smith added 13.

Indiana connected on 67-percent of its two-point shots and 42-percent of its three-pointers. Meanwhile, Illinois had trouble with basketball's easiest shots — lay-ups and free-throws.

Illini head coach Brad Underwood was at a loss to explain the problem.

"You can't win on the road without making free throws," Underwood said. "We haven't made them all year. You're playing high major basketball. You've got to finish layups. We practiced them all spring.

"I don't know if it's fear, but we're Big Ten players, and Big Ten players should be able to make layups, in my opinion."

Illinois forward Leron Black (12) goes around Indiana forward Juwan Morgan during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Bloomington, Ind., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.

Photo Credit: Michael Conroy/AP

Leron Black led Illinois with 20 points and 7 rebounds.  Kipper Nichols added 16 points, and Trent Frazier scored 12 for the Illini.  The Hoosiers out-rebounded Illinois 34-23.

With the win, Indiana stays in contention for an NIT bid. The Hoosiers are now 8-7 in conference, 15-12 on the season.

Illinois drops to 2-12, all alone in the Big Ten cellar. The Illini are 12-15 overall.  They'll return to action at home, against Nebraska, Sunday afternoon at 2:30 CT.