CHAMPAIGN — Sunday's loss at Penn State wasn't the first time a halftime lead slipped away from Illinois. It's become a persistent theme all season — from the Illini's time in Maui right before Thanksgiving to a handful of Big Ten games.
The second half of that regular-season finale, though, was striking. The defense that bottled up Penn State in the first 20 minutes continued to give up too many open three-pointers to Josh Reaves and let Lamar Stevens dictate more of the Nittany Lions' offense. Offensively, the Illini made just one field goal during the final 10 minutes, and that one make came amid a sea of 12 misses.