Live blog: Illini hoops takes on Cincinnati in first exhibition of 2026-27 season
247Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Illinois leads Cincinnati 59-55 with 17:43 left in the second half, highlighted by Ethan Brown's strong performance with 10 points on 4-5 shooting, four rebounds, and one assist.
- Andrej Stojakovic has been dominant offensively, scoring 16 points on 5-8 shooting, including 10 points in the final six minutes of the first half, helping Illinois maintain a halftime lead of 54-49.
- Illinois is struggling defensively, allowing Cincinnati to average 1.2 points per possession and dominate the paint 28-22, with communication errors and freshmen inexperience contributing to defensive lapses.
- Freshmen Ethan Brown and Quentin Coleman are providing offensive energy, while veterans like Stefan Vaaks and Tomislav Ivisic are contributing effectively on offense despite some turnovers.
- Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is using this exhibition game to experiment with lineups and give significant playing time to freshmen, treating it as a developmental opportunity rather than focusing solely on winning.
