3-2-1 RECAP: No. 14 Spartans Run Through Illini 76-56

Illinois leaves the Breslin Center thoroughly dominated in never every phase during a 76-56 loss to No. 14 Michigan State.

EAST LANSING, Michigan -- For around 39 minutes, Illinois left its Big Ten Conference opener at Maryland knowing they should’ve won a road game against a quality ranked opponent. Not for one second Thursday night did one Illinois player have that thought.

Illinois left the Breslin Center thoroughly dominated in never every phase during a 76-56 loss to No. 14 Michigan State. The Illini (9-5, 1-2 in Big Ten) rang in the new year by missing each of their first 15 attempts from 3-point range and in what is now a disturbing trend, leave its 14th game of the 2019-20 season shooting around 20 percent from beyond the arc. Illinois made just 3 of 28 from 3-point range, which is easily the most head-shaking perimeter shooting night of the Brad Underwood era.

“I liked our looks,” Underwood said. “You can’t do that on the road in terms of not make shots consistently. It’s hard to put guys in places when that ball just doesn’t go in. Tonight wasn’t our night and we’ll shoot the ball better the next time we play.”

Michigan State (11-3, 3-0) which is still the only Big Ten team this season to win a road game, got its transition offense going early and often led by Preseason first-team guard Cassius Winston. After missing the previous game with a knee injury, the senior guard finished with game highs in points (21) and assists (six) as the Spartans converted ten layups and dunks throughout the night.

Ayo Dosunmu led the Illini with 18 points and eight rebounds on a night where he nearly single-handedly kept his team only down six at halftime.

“3 of 29 from three, that’s a big reason but I feel there are a lot of other reasons but we’ll keep it closed in the locker room,” Dosunmu said. “We came into the locker room (at halftime) and I felt like we had a chance to win the game but they went on a run and that was the game.”

Illinois had foul trouble and ineffectiveness from practically every post player tonight as days after being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the fifth time this season, freshman center Kofi Cockburn finished with just five points, nine rebounds and more fouls (threes) than field goals (2 of 10 shooting).

Illinois, which will now return to State Farm Center Sunday night against a Purdue team that survived a double-overtime home game tonight against Minnesota.

Here are the three major takeaways from this loss for the Illini.

1) Illinois being unable to hit perimeter shots is now a trend

Perimeter shots consistently clanking off the rim isn’t and wasn’t something Underwood wanted to run from anymore. In fact, after constantly saying through the first two months of the season that this Achilles heel of the Illini offense was a statistical anomaly and would turn around at the snap of a finger, Underwood used it as a shield to deflect from one of the worst losses of his nearly three-year tenure at Illinois.

“They made shots. We didn’t,” Underwood said. “Sometimes you hate to break it down any more simple than that but for the most part, I don’t hate the looks we’re getting. We’re just not making them.”

Michigan State came into Thursday night holding opponents to 30 percent from the 3-point arc. Illinois would’ve loved to shot 30 percent. The six-point halftime lead for the Spartans included Illini missing all 11 3-point attempts and having as many first-half fouls (eight) as points from its frontcourt players.

This is now a disturbing trend that none of the Illini players can turn away from. Trent Frazier, who finished last season 40.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, is currently shooting 35 percent. Ayo Dosunmu has gone from 35.2 percent last season to 28 percent now. This can't continue for Illini to win quality Big Ten games.

2) The message from Underwood to the Illini players is distorted

This is a simple factor to discern. Underwood says they lost Thursday night because they didn’t hit shots. Plain and simple. Easy to dissect (and add in the fact, Michigan State is a fairly good defensive squad) but doesn’t take an expert of Dr. James Naismith’s sport. Go to Dosunmu and you get this response: “That’s a fair assessment but I don’t feel that is the reason why we lost”.

Dosunmu declined to go into detail as to the problems with this team following the program’s 15th conference loss in its last 23 contests. If you go back to Underwood suggesting this group had a problem having scouting reports translate to the court, there’s a message from the coaching staff that isn’t breaking through to this team that Underwood says “is still pretty young on paper”.

3) Xavier Tillman dominated Illinois’ bigs

When asked what caused Kofi Cockburn’s 2 for 10 from the field that included multiple misses from point-blank range and another night where physicality near the rim bothered him, Underwood had a simple one-word answer.

“Them,” Underwood said. “He’s seen size before. We were sure trying to get it to him and trying to establish that. He’s been a big reason we’re one of the top offensive field goal percentage teams in the league. Again...he’ll learn to finish those.”

Underwood’s answer could’ve still been one word and more accurate: Him. With that ‘him’ being junior forward Xavier Tillman. Tillman, who gave up 45 pounds and about four to five inches of height to Cockburn had 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks (most of which came at the expense of the Illini freshman 7-footer) Thursday night to play bigger than his listed size in the classic way Tom Izzo’s bigs normally do. Tillman played a brilliant game to frustrate Cockburn and Giorgi Bezhanishvili on both ends of the floor and get both of them (along with Kipper Nichols) in foul trouble.