The Michigan men’s basketball team couldn’t turn its first ranked matchup into its first ranked win Thursday night, falling to No. 14 Illinois to drop six of its last seven games and keep Juwan Howard winless in his coaching career against the Fighting Illini. What at points looked like a competitive game turned into a lifeless Crisler Center, and an 88-73 loss after a 17-2 Illinois second-half run proved insurmountable.
While the Fighting Illini were without Terrance Shannon Jr. as he is embroiled in a sexual assault investigation, they had five scorers in double figures to overwhelm the Wolverines by committee — led by forward Coleman Hawkins getting it done inside and out for a game-high 21 points.
Here are five takeaways from the loss:
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