Quick thoughts on a 70-62 loss at Illinois:
How it happened
With a week off to prepare, Indiana got off to a strong start on Saturday afternoon at the State Farm Center. The Hoosiers led by as many as eight points as Illinois got off to a rough start from the perimeter. Kel’el Ware (ankle) was unavailable, so Mike Woodson went with Anthony Walker rather than Payton Sparks and put Xavier Johnson back in the lineup instead of Gabe Cupps. Johnson responded with a solid half, scoring eight points in 16 minutes. Malik Reneau was also terrific in the opening half, putting up 14 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.