DES MOINES, Iowa — Illinois came into the NCAA Tournament with nothing to lose, so Thursday’s first-round exit at the hands of Arkansas wasn’t as difficult to digest as their most recent tournament losses.
The No. 9 seed Illini lost 73-63, displaying the same shooting deficiencies and ballhandling woes we’ve seen from them much of the season.
Illinois committed 17 turnovers and shot 38.5% overall and 27.3 % (6-for-22) from 3-point range while hauling down only three offensive rebounds.
