Five takeaways from Michigan’s loss to Illinois

For Michigan men’s basketball, Sunday’s game vs Illinois wasn’t a senior day to remember. The Wolverines began their day controlling their destiny in a race for an outright Big Ten title, with parental reunions in the air and looking to build off of dramatic wins against Rutgers and Nebraska. Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini were floundering, losers of three of their last four games, including a 110-67 shellacking at the hands of Duke.

But recent struggles be damned, Illinois came into Crisler Center and beat the brakes off of Michigan, 93-73, after a dominant second half. It was the ninth straight loss in the series for the Wolverines, who haven’t beaten the Illini since John Beilein was Michigan’s head coach.

It was a bleak afternoon for the Wolverines, as they’ve now lost their last two home games after starting the season 13-0 on their home court. UM Hoops breaks down five takeaways from the loss: