Tracy Abrams needed a trip home.
The sophomore guard scored just four points in 19 minutes of action during the Illinois men’s basketball team’s first loss of the season against Missouri on Dec. 22.
Then Chicago came calling.
After losing to Gonzaga, UIC and UNLV in their annual matchups at the United Center over the last three seasons, the No. 12 Illini (13-1) defeated Auburn 81-79 on Saturday behind the Mount Carmel graduate’s career day, advancing their overall record on the Bulls’ home court to 33-11.
Illinois’ leading scorer, Brandon Paul, a Gurnee, Ill., native, scored 13 points, but Abrams stole the show. The Chicago-bred point guard dropped a career-high 27 points and pulled down eight rebounds to close Illinois’ nonconference season with one loss before the team starts its Big Ten schedule on the road against Purdue on Wednesday.
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The Tigers limped into Saturday’s contest with a 5-6 record on the season but gave the Illini fits until the final buzzer. Abrams’ 16 first half points and an 11-4 turnover advantage helped the Illini build a 47-42 halftime lead, but they’d also watch an 11-point second half advantage shrink to a point in the waning seconds of the game. With 1:32 remaining, the Illini held a nine-point lead, yet careless ball handling allowed Auburn to make a late push that’d ultimately come up just short.
Once again, the Illini struggled from behind the arc, a trend that plagued them against Missouri, but overcame a 4-for-15 performance from three by shooting 21-for-37 (57 percent) from two and racking up 27 points from the free-throw line.
Illini head coach John Groce said his team would be measured this season by how well it responded to getting knocked in the jaw. Illinois took its first true blow against Missouri and made its first true response on Saturday against Auburn.
Groce also said in his introductory press conference in April that he wanted to win over the Chicago fan base. So far, his staff has done that in recruiting and marketing. But it took a Chicago native to reclaim the city on the court.
Ethan can be reached at [email protected].
