The Illinois Fighting Illini blew out the Indiana Hoosiers Tuesday night 94-69 on the road at Assembly Hall. The game was never close and the Big Ten foes got into a scuffle in the second half as the Illini wrapped up their bludgeoning of the Hoosiers. Kasparas Jakucionis made his return to the lineup for Illinois after being out with a forearm injury and his presence jolted the Fighting Illini offense to set an Assembly Hall record.
Jakacionis, the projected lottery pick for the Illinois Fighting Illini came back and had an immediate impact. With the star freshman making his return, the Indiana defense often lost sight of Kylan Boswell, who set a career-high with 22 points. Point records were the story of the night, as Illinois set an Assembly Hall record for the most points ever by a visiting team in a regulation game with 94.
The drubbing by the Fighting Illini led to groans and chants from the Indiana faithful of “Fire Woodson.” The record is the second major benchmark for Illinois in 2024-25, giving fans hope for the possible ceiling of Brad Underwood’s team.
Illinois Sets Points Record At Assembly Hall
The Illinois Fighting Illini took the floor Tuesday night for the first time since losing to USC. The loss was Illinois’ second in Big Ten play and came shorthanded as the Fighting Illini were playing without Jakucionis, who was inactive with a forearm injury. Jakucionis made his return to the team against the Indiana Hoosiers and made an instant impact. The star freshman scored 21 points, earning him his seventh 20-point game of the season. Boswell topped Jakucionis in scoring on the night though, putting up 22 points in the Fighting Illini’s 94-69 win.
The 94 points set an Assembly Hall record. In the 54 years that Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall has housed the legendary Indiana Hoosiers basketball team, no team has scored that many points in a regulation game. The 35-point victory soured the home team and their fans throughout. The deficit for the Hoosiers got as bad as 30 in the first half. A scuffle broke out late in the second half as the game was winding down with Tomislav Ivisic and Luke Goode starting a confrontation on the baseline with a little more than two minutes to go. This came as the Indiana Hoosiers’ fans were heading for the exits and clamoring for Head Coach Mike Woodson to be fired.
Illinois recovered from their loss to USC in a big way. The record-setting win is the second major record Illinois has set this season. Earlier in the season, the Fighting Illini set a record for the largest win by a visiting team over a top ten team when they housed Oregon 109-77. The return of Jakucionis can help to explain why Illinois was able to handle its Big Ten rival, but it is not the only reason. The Fighting Illini are building momentum and showing flashes of being a real contender for the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, especially if they can string more performances like this together.
Final Thoughts
The Illinois Fighting Illini dominated the Indiana Hoosiers from the get-go Tuesday night. Helped by the return of Jakucionis, Illinois showed better efficiency and chemistry on offense. His absence led to a loss last Saturday against USC and a drop in the AP Poll but it may be worth it in the long run. Jakucionis is the best offensive option for Illinois and his career will go farther than anyone else’s on this team.
That doesn’t mean he is the end-all-be-all of this team, and seeing how he can fit into the offense rather than how the offense can fit around him may end up doing more good than bad for Underwood’s team. The offense was volatile and unreliable before Jakucionis’ arm injury, leading to calamities like the Northwestern loss. With some perspective for him and development for the rest of the roster, Illinois only had six turnovers against the Hoosiers. This Indiana blowout victory could be the start of something special that Illinois fans are hoping runs through April.
