Illinois’ stay in the Big Apple did not last long. And Brad Underwood almost got booted long before its 96-87 loss to Iowa at the Big Ten tournament was in the books.
The fiery coach picked up a technical foul four minutes into the second half. Underwood protested a Kipper Nichols foul on Tyler Cook but wanted to make a larger point.
“I will fight for you!" Underwood told his players in the huddle, according to the BTN broadcast.
And fight he did, continuing to argue until veteran official Terry Wymer calmed him down.
Coincidence or not, the Illini picked up their intensity and cut what was a 12-point lead to five on a Michael Finke 3-pointer.
But Jordan Bohannon kept hitting 3s on Wednesday in the first ever Big Ten tournament game at Madison Square Garden.
Bohannon hit five bombs and scored 25 points as Iowa, the 12th seed, earned the right to play fifth-seeded Michigan on Friday.
Illinois’ disappointing season ended before the calendar turned to March. The Illini finished 14-18.
Nichols was sensational, scoring a career-high 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting. He even did a Reggie Miller-at-MSG impersonation, scoring six points in eight seconds (3-pointer, steal, three-point play).
But Illinois’ D allowed the Hawkeyes to shoot 56.3 percent and make 8 of 14 from deep.
Both teams played hard under the bright lights. There were several stoppages to clean up arms and uniforms that showed blood.
Illinois also shed some sweat – probably not some tears – before being sent back to the Midwest.
tgreenstein@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein
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