Overview
- Illinois improved to 22-5 and 13-3 in the Big Ten, tightening its grip on second place with a 14th win in 16 games.
- Andrej Stojakovic returned from an ankle injury to lead Illinois with 22 points on 6-of-7 shooting and a 9-for-9 night at the line.
- Seven Illini reached double figures as the team shot 51.6%, hit 13 threes, and went 24-for-26 on free throws, with the first half rated the most efficient in Division I in 30 years per Ken Pomeroy.
- The 36-point margin was USC’s largest defeat of the season and one of Illinois’ biggest Big Ten road wins in decades; USC dropped to 18-8 (7-8) and 0-4 against ranked teams.
- USC played without second-leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara (knee) and saw Alijah Arenas limited by illness, and coach Eric Musselman said the Trojans “didn’t play well on either side of the ball”; next up are Illinois at UCLA on Saturday and USC hosting Oregon.