No. 10 Illinois dominates USC from opening tip, earns seventh Big Ten road win

I think it’s safe to say Illinois isn’t worried about those overtime losses.

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LOS ANGELES, Cal. — Pure domination.

That’s what occurred in the first of Illinois’ two West Coast games this week, as No. 10 Illinois defeated USC 101-65 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. After suffering back-to-back overtime losses, it appears Illinois is officially back on track, winning its last two games by a combined 56 points.

Illinois (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) tightened its grip on second place in the conference and strengthened its March resume with a blowout win over a projected

tournament team in USC (18-8, 7-8 Big Ten) this evening. It marks Illinois’ seventh road win in eight contests in Big Ten play this season.

As has been the case in many games this year, Illinois’ versatile roster proved it can beat opponents in a variety of ways. Seven different players reached double digits in the scoring column, and six nailed a three pointer. Andrej Stojakovic, back from injury, led the way for the Illini with 22 points.

Brad Underwood’s offense scored in nearly every way imaginable too. 36 points in the paint, 39 points on 13 made threes, 19 fast break points, 17 second chance points, 24 points from the charity stripe. A truly astonishing showing.

USC struggled to contain Illinois’ dynamic offense from the opening tip. The Trojans were called for eight team fouls before 10 minutes had been played. 15 made free throws played a significant part in Illinois’ 54 first half points, the team’s highest scoring opening half in conference play this year.

Eight different Illini made a made field goal in the first 20 minutes, with six of those players making at least two. Illinois recorded an astonishing 1.500 points per possession, while shooting 53.3% from the field and 43.8% from distance.

Despite leading by 22 points at the break, Illinois refused to let up in the second half. The Illini went on to lead by as many as 39 in the contest, with the offensive barrage continuing relentlessly for a full 40 minutes.

The most efficient offense in the country put another incredibly impressive performance on its resume, shooting 51.6% from the field and 44.8% from three point range on the road against a respectable Trojans defense. Not half bad.

Would you take the 2025-26 Illini offense over the 2023-24 Illini offense?