Jalen Coleman-Lands led the way with 17 points, and Illinois won for just the second time in six games with their 68-66 upset of No. 20 Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament Thursday. The Illini play No. 13 Purdue in Friday's quarterfinals.
The Illini coasted to an easy victory in Wednesday night's opening game of the tournament. Champaign native Michael Finke finished with 17 points. Illinois (14-18) moves on to play No. 5 seed Iowa Thursday.
Malcolm Hill scored a career-high 39 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to get the Illini men past Penn State, as the Nittany Lions defeated Illinois 86-79 in double-overtime Sunday in Happy Valley.
Maverick Morgan tallied the first double-double of his Illini career, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome a three-point barrage and Illinois’ 81-55 loss to Maryland Thursday night suburban Washington DC.
Kendrick Nunn scored 25 points, as Illinois beat Minnesota 84-71 Sunday night. The Illini opened the second half on a 29-8 run for a 61-48 lead, and they never looked back.
