Indiana faced another tough test on Saturday in the Big Ten, falling to Illinois 69-60. The Hoosiers are now 0-2 in the Big Ten.
Indiana did, however, have a much better performance on Saturday than its previous outing against Northwestern.
The Hoosiers face off against Penn State on Wednesday looking to get their first Big Ten win.
Here are the main takeaways from IU's loss to No. 18 Illinois.
Offensive struggles continue... with no real end in sight: Every game IU plays in, you're expecting a scoring drought and once again it didn't disappoint. Indiana went multiple 2-3+ minute droughts without either a FG or any points. The most potent run was a 14-0 run Illinois went on late in the game to take a nine-point lead. The players know it needs to be fixed, but it's the same old story without much change.
Armaan Franklin as Indiana's most important player?: Trayce Jackson-Davis is extremely talented and he has proved to be an All-American type player, but Armaan Franklin continues to play at an All-Big Ten level. His scoring and shooting on the wing are extremely important due to the lack of effectiveness from Al Durham and Rob Phinisee. Franklin scored a new career-high 23 points on Saturday - his third career-high outing in the last four games. He is averaging 13.6 points per game while shooting 50 percent from three (19-of-38). His confidence is at an all-time high and you can see it with his play on the floor.
Trey Galloway should remain a starter: I don't know if it should be for Rob Phinisee every game, but Galloway provides the Indiana offense a bit of a spark with his ability to get into the lane and make plays for teammates. He had four points, four rebounds and two assists on Saturday but showed he can produce. Al Durham and Rob Phinisee both need to step up and if that means they need to do so off of the bench, then so be it.
Jordan Geronimo needs more minutes: Geronimo isn't going to be someone who will always provide output in points, but his ability to defend and be another body in the frontcourt is needed. Race Thompson and Jackson-Davis can't play 33+ minutes game in and game out and have IU expect to be competitive in every game. Geronimo provided a bit of a spark on Saturday and even hit a three. Let his athleticism and versatility on the floor and see if that provides another spark and even some easy transition opportunities for the offense.
Defense returns to high level: Indiana held Illinois to its fewest points in a first half (29) and for a game (69) this season. The Illini came in hitting 44 percent of their threes but started off 2-of-15. They would make five in a row to finish - finishing 7-of-20 for the game. Kofi Cockburn, albeit finishing with 15 points and 15 rebounds, shot just 6-of-12 from the field. He came in the game as one of three players in college basketball with multiple games shooting 80% with at least 10 made field goals.
IU needs to play with high energy every night: Indiana isn't good enough to take a night off. Skill wise, it will have potentially two matchups that it will have an advantage in. Outside of that, it's hit or miss. Indiana held a five point lead against Illinois before its 14-0 run late and that IU lead was mainly because of its energy and toughness. Indiana can compete with the top teams in the Big Ten, but that will only be the case if it has energy for a full 40 minutes.
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