The Illinois basketball team dropped a tough game to Michigan State on Saturday. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood wasn't happy that his team lost, but did see a silver lining.
“Proud of our guys. I thought we battled, Underwood said, per 247 Sports. “Tonight, we didn't shoot very well. I loved our shots. Thought we got great shots. Didn't go in. So my hat's off to Michigan State, and they got back on the right side of it. Today was their day.”
Michigan State defeated the Illini, 85-82, in overtime. Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 26 points for the Spartans, to will his team to win. He also dished out 15 assists in one of his best career performances.
Fears was coming off some criticism after his sportsmanship had been questioned in recent games.
“I had some mistakes that I made in past game that I don't want to let happen,” Fears said, per ESPN. “I hurt my team.”
Following the loss, Illinois is now 20-4 on the season.
Illinois came ever so close to defeating Michigan State
The loss hurts Illinois in the Big Ten standings. Illinois basketball is now 11-2 in the conference standings, behind Michigan. A win over Michigan State would have kept the Illini in first in the conference, ahead of the Wolverines.
The Fighting Illini shot the ball poorly against the Spartans on Saturday.
“But, really, the biggest difference for Illinois from its previous 12 games was its lack of shot-making. The Illini's shot quality was strong. But Illinois shot just 10-for-36 from three (27.6%), its first game under 30% since a 73-65 win at Penn State. The Illini shot just 8-for-16 at the rim, far below its 68.4% season rate at the rim. Star freshman Keaton Wagler finally looked human, shooting 2-for-16 from the field, including 0-for-8 inside the arc,” 247 Sports reported.
With their win, Michigan State is also 20-4 on the season. The Spartans move to 10-3 in the Big Ten standings, just one game behind Illinois.
Illinois basketball will try to get back in the win column, when they next play Wisconsin Tuesday.
