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Sunday, Jan. 19
The Indiana Daily Student

sports men's basketball

Indiana men’s basketball looks to bounce back, hosts No. 19 Illinois on Tuesday

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After a blowout loss snapped its five-game winning streak, Indiana men’s basketball makes its return to Bloomington with sights set on a bounce-back win. The Hoosiers (13-4, 4-2 Big Ten) will have an opportunity to right the ship in short order as they host No. 19 Illinois (12-4, 4-2 Big Ten) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.  

Indiana was overwhelmed in its 85-60 loss to Iowa on Jan. 11, finishing with 16 turnovers and allowing a fast-paced Hawkeye offense to score 26 points in transition. 

“We got to go back and regroup,” head coach Mike Woodson said postgame. “Because the Big Ten’s not going anywhere.” 

The defeat marked the beginning of an 11-game stretch against Quad 1 conference opponents, an unrelenting series of games that will loom large come March. Next up on the list is the Fighting Illini. 

Illinois is the second Associated Press Top 25 team Indiana will face this season. The first resulted in an 89-73 loss to then-No. 3 Gonzaga during the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Hoosiers haven’t beat a ranked opponent since Feb. 25, 2023.  

Meet the Fighting Illini 

The Fighting Illinois are also looking to get back in the win column, after an 82-72 upset loss to USC on Jan. 11 snapped a five-game winning streak. Their struggles against the Trojans largely stemmed from the absence of star freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who missed Illinois’ last two matchups. 

Jakucionis, the Fighting Illini’s leading scorer at 16.4 points per game, suffered an injury to his left forearm during a win over Washington on Jan. 5. His status for Tuesday’s matchup against Indiana is uncertain. 

When asked about the freshman’s status Monday afternoon, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said, “I don’t know.” 

The seventh-year head coach would certainly prefer to have Jakucionis on the floor, but Underwood will have plenty of options to turn to should the Vilnius, Lithuania native miss a third consecutive game. 

Four other players average double-digit scoring in an offense that tallies 86.9 points per game, the seventh most in Division I. Sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic averages 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, anchoring the interior of an Illinois squad that lives on the glass. 

The Fighting Illini lead the Big Ten with 13.1 offensive rebounds and 45.1 total rebounds per game. On both ends of the floor, Illinois crashes the glass with intensity — a game plan that could be detrimental to Indiana. 

Replacing Reneau 

With junior forward Malik Reneau still out with a lower body injury, Woodson has implemented a small ball starting lineup that features senior forward Luke Goode, an Illinois transfer. Goode, who played three seasons in Champaign, Illinois before joining the Hoosiers, has recovered from early season shooting woes since filling Reneau’s spot.  

Since becoming a starter, Goode is shooting 42.9% from beyond the arc.  

Regardless, losing Reneau’s contribution on the glass will be a concern for Indiana against Illinois’ volume rebounding. Sixth-year center Oumar Ballo had double-digit rebounds in three of the four games without Reneau and the Hoosiers will heavily rely on him to limit the Fighting Illini’s second-chance opportunities.  

The 7-foot Ballo tallied 13 rebounds in the loss at Iowa, despite Indiana losing the rebound battle 37-31. If the Hoosiers hope to earn their first win over a ranked team in almost two years, rebounding will be essential. 

Broadcast information 

Tuesday night’s matchup will stream on Peacock with Noah Eagle and Robbie Hummel on the call. 

Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.

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