In Thursday's nightcap, it was the nation's No. 1 offense (Illinois) against the nation's No. 1 defense (Iowa State).
And, for the most part, defense was the name of the game in a 72-69 contest that was a friend of the under bettors.
There were a combined total of 19 steals, and the teams shot a combined 40.9 percent from the field when they weren't succumbing to the relentless pressure and physicality on both ends of the floor.
There were two major exceptions to the rule, though, as Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr. and Iowa State's Curtis Jones had quite the individual battle.
As Illinois raced out to a 36-26 halftime lead, Shannon was the star with 16 points. But while Milan Momcilovic and Keshon Gilbert shot a combined 0-for-8 from the field for the Cyclones in those first 20 minutes, Jones came off the bench for 13 of their points, keeping them within striking distance.
The duo basically doubled down in the second half, as well, each scoring 13 more points to finish at 29 and 26, respectively.
That's business as usual for Shannon, who was averaging 31.6 PPG since the start of the Big Ten tournament, but it was a season-high for Jones, who came off the bench for all but one game.
Every time Iowa State got it back to within one possession, it seemed to be Jones' doing. However, he just could not quite get the Cyclones over the hump, as the Illini led for the entire game. And, naturally, it was Shannon sealing the deal with a steal, a breakaway dunk and a pair of game-ending free throws in the closing second.
Now, Illinois will go from the age-old "unstoppable force vs. immovable object" debate to just a good old-fashioned battle between two unstoppable forces when it clashes with Connecticut in a matchup of the two most efficient offenses in the nation.
Bagikan Berita Ini
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