LIVE BLOG: Follow Indiana's Game at Illinois in Real Time from Inside the State Farm Center
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Indiana has hit the road for its first Big Ten road trip of the season. We're stopping today in here at the State Farm Center in Champaign for a tough matchup with No. 18 Illinois.
The game starts at 4 p.m. ET. For all the information on how to watch the game, including TV information, point spreads and series history. CLICK HERE
We'll keep you updated with news and views live from inside the arena throughout the game,
Just keep refreshing all afternoon. The most recent hits will be at the top. Here we go:
IT'S A FINAL: Illinois wins 69-60 as Indiana again struggles to score in the closing minutes of the game, making only one shot in the final four minutes. Indiana falls to 0-2 in the Big Ten, and 5-4 overall. Armaan Franklin the leading scorer with a career-high 23 points. STORY and COLUMN TO COME
6:02 p.m. ET Ayo Dosunmu missed, but Illinois gets the offensive rebound. Much like the Florida State game, where the Hoosiers couldn't get a rebound down the stretch.
6 p.m. ET — Ayo Dosunmu hits another three-pointer and now Illinois leads 65-57. Three wasted possessions for Indiana. Here's what they got since the media timeout:
- Race Thompson missed open look at the rim. (3:30)
- Galloway missed three-pointer (2:50)
- Franklin turnover on tipped pass (2:10)
5:53 p.m. ET – We've reached the final media timeout and Illinois leads 60-57. Hoosiers scrapped their way back in it with a three-pointer by Armaan Franklin and a tough shot inside by Al Durham. Let's see how Indiana closes now. They did not get good shot in the final four minutes the other night. Let's see what's different today.
5:47 p.m. ET – That might have been a turning-point moment there. With the shot clock running down, Ayo Dosunmu bobbled the ball and Rob Phinisee dove at his feet after it. Dosunmu grabbed it hit a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded. Instead of a turnover, it's now a six-point lead for Illinois at 55-49. Then next trip down, he hits another three and it's 58-49. Getting out of hand.
5:40 p.m. ET – No one takes over games last better than Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu and he's doing it again here. Seems like as soon as that 10-minute mark passes that the switch goes on. He hits a mid-range shot and then a three-pointer, and just like that, Illinois is back ahead, leading 51-49. Trayce Jackson-Davis, with three fouls, back in the game.
5:32 p.m. ET – An Armaan Franklin free throw gives Indiana its biggest lead of the game at 43-39. Mark that down. Had a four-point lead right about then on Wednesday night, too, at the 8:59 mark.
5:25 p.m. ET – Back-to-back tough runners in the lane by Rob Phinisee gives Indiana a 40-37 lead with 11:59 to go. Those are his first points of the game, too. Jordan Geronimo has checked in for the Hoosiers for Jerome Hunter, who's really struggling today.
5: 16 p.m. ET — First media timeout of the second half and Illinois leads 35-32. Indiana got five quick points from Al Durham, his first points of the game.
5:13 p.m. ET – Illinois gets two free points there after a technical on the Indiana bench. Archie Miller getting frustrated with all the pushing and shoving that Kofi Cockburn is getting away with.
5:10 p.m. ET — Remember Point 1 from this morning about Indiana's veteran guards needing to step up? Al Durham and Rob Phinisee combined for ZERO points in the first half.
4:50 p.m. HALFTIME: It's been a physical first half, with the defenses prevailing. Iliinois leads 29-27, but it hasn't been easy. Indiana is shooting just 38 percent from the field and Illinois is just 2-for-10 from three-point range. Armaan Franklin leads the Hoosiers with 11, and Trayce Jackson-Davis, after that slow start, has eight points. He's made all four free throws and has five rebounds. Ayo Dosunmu leads Illinois with 10.
4:42 p.m. ET — Final media timeout of the first half and Illinois has pulled ahead 24-23 as their stars have taken over. Two buckets by Ayo Dosunmu and another by Kofi Cockburn, with an easy bank shot over Race Thompson. Race giving up four inches there, so that's a tough ask.
4:31 p.m. – Third media timeout and Indiana leads 19-16. Armaan Franklin already has 11 points for the Hoosiers. Indiana is 8-for-20 shooting (40 percent) and only two turnovers so far. Trayce just 1-for-7 from the field.
4:28 p.m. ET – Back-to-back three-pointers from Armaan Franklin put the Hoosiers back ahead, 15-9. Perimeter shooting is key today.
4:22 p.m. – Second media timeout and it's all tied at 9. Illini on a 6-0 run.
4:20 p.m. – Jackson-Davis back in, and freshman Anthony Leal checks in for Galloway.
4:17 p.m – Rob Phinisee and Jerome Hunter enter the game after the timeout. Jackson-Davis and Franklin get a blow. Where's the scoring going to come from? Galloway is the answer, with a strong dribble drive to the basket, and then Hunter does the same. Indiana 9-3.
4:09 p.m. – Trayce Jackson-Davis guarding the 7-foot Kofi Cockburn to start. Fronting him a lot, got a steal on Illinois' third possession Each team yet to score on three tries. Kofi Cockburn makes a free throw for Illinois, Armaan Franklin does the same for Indiana, making 1-of-2. Tied at 1. Two solid possession follow for Indiana, with baskets by Franklin and Race Thompson. First media timeout and it's Indiana 5-1.
4:07 p.m. ET – Hoosiers in the road reds, of course. Illinois in white, with the traditional blue and orange trim and orange numbers.
3:55 p.m. ET – Here's an interesting nugget. Trey Galloway is in the starting lineup today for Indiana. He's starting in Rob Phinisee's spot. That's a fast reaction to what happened Wednesday night. Trey hit a couple of three-pointers in that game, and was looking for his shot more. He'll need to do the same today. He has started once already this season, starting for Al Durham when he missed the Stanford game in the Maui Invitational down in Asheville, N.C.
3:45 p.m. ET — We're in the state of Illinois where the restrictions are even tougher, so there are NO FANS AT ALL here, including no parents. That's got to be tough, to not watch your own kids. Cardboard cutouts is all we've got.
3:30 p.m. – I had an enormous amount of conversation all day on my "3 things I want to see story this morning. Lots of people are thinking that veteran guards Al Durham and Rob Phinisee are going to step up and have a big game today. They were 1-for-9 combined in the loss to Northwestern on Wednesday, and 0-for-5 from three. A bounce-back would be huge.
3:15 p.m. – This year's game will have to go a long way to top the matchup here last March, which Illinois won 67-66. That was a battle from start to finish.
3 p.m. ET – First the bad news, though it's not at all unexpected. Senior center Joey Brunk is in street clothes once again, so he'll miss his ninth straight game with a back injury.