UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two career-best performances, two straight losses for Illinois heading into the Big Ten tournament.
Three days after Illinois failed to support Maverick Morgan’s 21-point, 10-rebound effort against No. 14 effort, the Illini couldn’t back up Malcolm Hill and his 39-point, 13-rebound double-double.
A late rally from 10 points down forced overtime, and then another, but Illinois ended its disappointing regular season with an 86-79 double overtime loss at Penn State. The defeat locks the Illini firmly into the 12-seed for the Big Ten tournament, in which they will face Minnesota at 3:30 p.