Illinois (7-3) fell to No. 1 Tennessee (10-0) 66-64 heartbreakingly in Champaign on Saturday night. A buzzer-beating layup silenced the crowd and gave the Volunteers a narrow two-point win.
All-around messy first half
The first half started with a strong couple of minutes from the Illini, as they led 8-3 after five minutes. Sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic and junior guard Tre White had multiple strong defensive plays, holding Tennessee’s offense to a 1-8 shooting start.
However, the Volunteers quickly closed the gap with their tough defense, stifling the Illini’s scoring ability. Freshman forward Will Riley was especially affected by Tennessee’s aggressiveness and physicality, struggling to drive the ball and create around the rim.
Riley took multiple extremely deep three-pointers, a few very early in the shot clock, and those didn’t fall either. The Canadian went 1-7 from the field in the first half, including 0-3 from three.
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Neither team shot it well, with Illinois shooting 24% from the field and Tennessee 21.4%. Most of both teams’ points came from the foul line in a slow and choppy half. The referees called everything from the jump, and after 20 minutes, a combined 26 fouls had been called. Illinois and Tennessee each made 17 free throws, accounting for over 50% of each team’s total points.
At the end of the first half, Tennessee led 31-30.
Illini attack the rim in second half
Illinois found its stride in the second half. The three ball wasn’t falling in the first half due to the Volunteers’ tough perimeter defense, so the Illini altered their plan of attack. They aggressively attacked the basket and scored inside when they returned from the locker room. Out of their first eight shot attempts, six came inside the arc.
Junior guard Kylan Boswell converted two layups in the first five minutes, with one resulting in a three-point play. Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis also looked confident driving the ball through contact.
The Illini lived at the free throw line, shooting 15 in the second half compared to a measly four by Tennessee.
Welcome to the Kasparas Jakucionis show
Another second half brought another Jakucionis highlight reel. The Lithuanian was sensational in the final 20 minutes, scoring 13 points on 4-8 shooting.
State Farm Center erupted for two Jakucionis four-point plays. His signature stepback three was much better in the second half after he shot 0-3 from three in the first.
Jakucionis finished with 22 for his fifth straight 20-point game. He is on pace to surpass Ayo Dosunmu’s record of most 20-point games as a freshman (seven) in the Brad Underwood era. He may not have been able to put Illinois over the edge, but his confidence in high-pressure situations bodes well for the future.
Heartbreaking final moments
Tennessee fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier fouled out with under four minutes to go. He was the Volunteers’ leading scorer at the time, contributing 17 points. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler also couldn’t be as aggressive, playing much of the second half with four fouls.
With two minutes to go, the game was tied at 62. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr. dunked in transition, but Boswell hit right back, drawing a foul on an aggressive drive. He missed the second free throw, but the Illini recovered it, calling a timeout down one with 54.5 seconds to go.
Out of the timeout, Jakucionis had the ball stripped on a drive, and Tennessee airballed a three. An off-ball foul was called on White, though, giving the Volunteers the ball back with 18.3 seconds.
Illinois fouled with 15.1 seconds, and Zeigler missed the free throw. A messy, rushed possession followed, but Jakucionis was fouled and sent to the free throw line with 5.7 seconds to go. He missed the first free throw but made the second to tie the game.
Tennessee pushed the ball up the court and scored a layup to beat the buzzer, ending the game and silencing the usually loud Illini crowd. A momentary defensive lapse by the Illini allowed senior guard Jordan Gainey to blow by everyone and convert on his last second attempt.
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