With Illinois set to hit the road for two straight games against ranked opponents, a victory over Northwestern seemed to be key to continue the momentum from the victory over Michigan St. Unfortunately, the inconsistency of this Fighting Illini team was on display again, as the Wildcats came into Champaign and earned the 74-70 upset win.
The Wildcats delivered an efficient offensive performance in the victory, hitting 60.4% of their shots from the field as a team. John Shurna led the way with 24 points on 11/15 shooting from the field, while Reggie Hearn added 20 points on 7/8 shooting.
While Illinois struggled to get any stops on the defensive end, it had no problem executing offensively. The Fighting Illini shot 54.2% from the field, with Brandon Paul scoring a team-high 22 points on 6/11 shooting. Meyers Leonard was simply brilliant in the loss, scoring 21 points and pulling down a team-high nine rebounds.
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