The Miami basketball team came out scorching on the road at Illinois on Monday night in the tipoff game of the 2019 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The Hurricanes bolted to a 45-18 lead in the first half and had to hold on in the final few minutes to defeat Illinois 81-79 in Champaign on Monday night.
Chris Lykes tied a career-high with 28 points and Dejan Vasiljevic added 20 as the Hurricanes perimeter game shined in a win Miami had to have. The victory over the Fighting Illini broke a two-game losing streak in games the Hurricanes looked putrid at the Charleston Classic in losses to Florida and Connecticut.