CHAMPAIGN -- After getting a much-needed win on Saturday, Iowa (15-13, 6-11) fell back into the losing column at Illinois (18-11,10-8) on Tuesday night, falling by a final score of 81-61. Coming out of halftime with their hair on fire, the Illini put the game to bed quickly in the second half, and between the scoring effort of several of their top players and the Hawkeyes beating themselves, Iowa fell once again on the road.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Illini on a Mission
Prior to their matchup with Iowa, Illinois had dropped three straight losses to three teams ranked in the top 11 in the AP Poll. They looked as motivated as ever to get back in the win column at home.
In just over the first seven minutes, the Illini jumped out to a 19-6 lead, looking as though they'd have a chance to maintain a double-digit lead for the entire contest. Iowa had other ideas, getting out in transition and stringing together a few stops over the ensuing seven minutes. The Hawkeyes progressively trimmed the lead down to just two points thanks to an 11-0 run.
"I think that's just what speaks about this team," Brock Harding, who led the Hawkeyes in scoring with 16 points, said postgame. "I mean, we've got a bunch of guys that aren't quitters, guys that just come out every game, no matter what the score is, no matter what our record is, coming out and fighting for each other."
The offense stalled over the final few minutes, thanks to poor shot-selection and an offensive foul call and the Illinois lead was 37-30 at the break.
Things went sideways in the second half.
Yet again, the Hawkeyes showed that they can compete with some of the best teams in the country for one half -- Iowa State, Wisconsin, Maryland, Purdue and now, Illinois.
Though Iowa looked as though they'd have a shot to compete with the skidding Illini, Brad Underwood's squad opened things up in the second half and took it to the Hawkeyes, scoring 44 second half points while shooting 57% from the field and 40% from three.
"We can't get down early and expect to be able to come back every single time," Harding added. "We've got to start quick and start fast, and we just haven't been great at throughout this tough stretch that we've had."
A Matchup Nightmare
Illinois is completely and utterly loaded with offensive, potentially NBA-level talent -- especially compared to Iowa.
On Tuesday, it all started with Tomislav Ivisic, who put up 22 points on 9-13 shooting after returning from a bout of mononucleosis. The 7'1" big man effectively scored in any way he wanted, routinely using his height and footwork to get open shots and score over any defense the Hawkeyes threw at him.
"I think he's a great fit, he's a great player," McCaffery said of Ivisic. "Everybody would like to have him, but I think he's a great fit for what else they have. You can run your offense through him because he can pass it, and he can make threes, and he can post up. He's a presence inside. Those kind of guys, over the course of 40 minutes, they're going to give you a better chance to win."
Ivisic is just one of Illinois' weapons, as Kylan Boswell and Will Riley each chipped in 15, and Tre White scored 14.
All the while, projected NBA Draft pick, Kasparas Jakucionis enjoyed a relatively lightly impactful night, adding just nine points over 37 minutes.
"They spread you out, and they've got five out," McCaffery said. "So you start doubling, then it becomes a problem because they've got multiple three-point shooters. A couple of times, I didn't think we finished the possession off defensively."
McCaffery praised Underwood for his roster construction around Ivisic, citing the play of the aforementioned scorers and the remaining talent on the Illinois squad.
"As Brad put the team together, he's got pieces," McCaffery added. "He's got handlers. He's got wings. He's got size. He's got shooters. He's got depth."
What's with the Turnovers?
Prior to the matchup with the Illini, Iowa ranked 25th nationally in turnovers given up, with just ten per game. Illinois was 344th in turnovers forced. In the loss, Iowa gave up 16 turnovers to Illinois' 5.
Much of Iowa's turnovers were unforced as well.
"We're a team that doesn't turn a ball over 16 times," McCaffery said. "They weren't pressing or anything like that. We just made some bad choices and dug ourselves a hole there."
"[The turnovers were] uncharacteristic, for sure," Harding added. "Just not the same reads that we normally make, just not on the same page as a team."
Though the Illini didn't press, they made things difficult in the halfcourt for the Hawkeyes.
"They were really aggressive," Harding said. "We missed some shots that we normally hit, and I mean, we had some bad turnovers. I had some bad turnovers early, and then we gave them open layups and open threes, and that just kind of got them going, got them feeling good, and then we were just playing from behind from there."
Ultimately, no matter the effort Iowa put forth, they couldn't overcome the hole they dug themselves into.
"If you're turning it over, that's going to be a problem," McCaffery said. "We were running, but we weren't scoring. And that's the fine line. You talk about quick shooting the ball on the road. We want to push it and take the first good shot that shows, and we did that. But then we didn't make them, and then they were running it back at us, and that extended the lead for them. It was like 8, 9, 11, and then all of a sudden it's 18."
NEXT: Iowa will travel to Evanston and take on Northwestern (15-13, 6-11) at 8 pm CT on Friday for a critical matchup with the Wildcats, as each program is vying for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament. The game will be broadcast on FS1.
