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Top-seeded Indiana jumped on the Illini early and never let up in an 80-64 wire-to-wire victory Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tourney at Chicago's United Center.
Here are some of the keys to the victory:
Indiana had a 38-26 edge as it took advantage of its stronger inside game and Illinois' post weakness. The Hoosiers had a 40-24 scoring edge in the post.
The Hoosiers attacked the Illini shooters from the opening tip. The goal was to not let Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson get open looks. It worked. Paul and Richardson combined for 4-for-23 shooting.
IU buckled in the final seven minutes of last month's game at Illinois. That didn't happen in this rematch. The Hoosiers ended the game on a 20-14 run, including an 18-6 burst that clinched the win.
IU wanted to run and run hard to exploit Illinois' shaky transition defense. That was especially effective in the second half, when it shot 65.2 percent from the field.
Cody Zeller is perhaps the most dominant big man in the Big Ten, certainly the best running big man. He was 9-for-11 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line en route to his game-high 24 points.
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