Illinois narrowly pulled out what was a close game for pretty much the entire night. They struggled in the first half, shooting under 30-percent from the field. The second half was much better, though. The Illini got going on offense in the second half and at one time extended the lead to double-digits.
Minnesota would go on a run to cut the lead to three points, but Illinois had good defensive execution late in the game to come away with the victory. Illinois had some good performances on Thursday night from multiple players, so who gets the MVP?