Someone was going to come in last place.
We just all hoped it wouldn’t be the Illini.
Now Illinois returns home after an eighth-place finish in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational following a 83-74 loss to Xavier in the seventh-place game at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui on Wednesday night.
Illinois finished with more three-pointers, assists, steals and fewer turnovers than Xavier — and still lost big. Seemingly, the intangibles are there, but the gameplay was not.
Early on, a lack of fouls and a legitimate sense of rhythm made it seem like Illinois would be able to turn the corner after sluggish starts over the first two games in Maui.