Illinois struggled offensively and had a quick exit in the conference tournament with a loss to Indiana in the quarterfinals.
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INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois had another good look.
After a missed front end by Indiana wing Miller Kopp, Andre Curbelo raced down the court for a layup that would have given Illinois the lead late.
It missed the mark, and was yet another sign of the off day offensively that doomed the top-seeded Illini. The 16th-ranked Illini’s Big Ten Tournament run ended almost as soon as it began with a 65-63 loss to ninth-seeded Indiana on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Illinois had missed breakaway dunks and layups, and had uncharacteristic turnovers late including on a miscommunication between Trent Frazier and Coleman Hawkins in the game’s final minute.
“It wasn’t our day,” coach Brad Underwood said. “It was Indiana’s day.”
Illinois had multiple long droughts without a field goal including the final 5:04. The Illini were also 10-for-22 on layups and 11-for-25 on shots at the rim. They shot 35.7% from the field and 15-for-23 from the free-throw line.
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