After falling behind 63-44 at the halftime break on Friday night, Illinois basketball was unable to claw back against Baylor, which ultimately prevailed 95-91 in Champaign. It was an exhibition matchup for the ages – if that's a thing – and we learned a thing or two about the Illini from it.
Here are five key stats to know from the outing:
5 key stats from Illinois basketball's exhibition loss to Baylor
Baylor's offensive rebounding rate: 56.4 percent
Where else to start? For one night at least, Baylor was more likely to rebound its own miss than Illinois – a squad that is perennially one of the best glass-cleaning units in the nation – was to grab it. Credit the Bears for crashing hard and utilizing their physical advantages.
In the Illini's defense, they were battered and bruised (though not for the entire game). At the end of the day, regardless of the players on the floor, there is no reality that should see Illinois get tossed around on the glass like that. Baylor's 20 second-chance points ultimately won the game.
Quentin Coleman points + rebounds + assists: 31
Quentin Coleman came to Champaign with higher expectations than any freshman in a long time. Through two exhibition games, he has actually outplayed them. Coleman can shoot the cover off the ball – though he went just 2-for-8 from deep on Friday – gets to the rack with the best of them and is also an advanced facilitator.
Some team ball ends with a threeee.
Watch on B1G+ pic.twitter.com/GgRfgjeMzX
– Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 24, 2026
But it's not his talent that's turning heads (although 20 points, seven rebounds and four dimes certainly was an attention-grabber) as much as it's his unbelievable motor.
the rebound AND the basket.
Watch on B1G+ pic.twitter.com/G1WHcxkIhl
– Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 24, 2026
Coleman is the unusual star who delivers on everything that doesn't show up in the stat sheet, as well as all that does. He plays tremendously hard. He defends. He chases rebounds. He dives on the floor. He is a first-option talent with an eighth-man attitude.
The Bears' first-half three-pointers: 11
Baylor was making it rain in the first half. The Bears hit 11 threes in the first 20 minutes – led by five from Brett Decker Jr. and three from Isaac Williams. Miscommunications, lackadaisical closeouts – call it what you want from the Illini, but the fact is someone had to make the shots. And Baylor was making everything.
The startling 63 points the Bears put up in the first frame and the subsequent 19-point lead they had at the break was just too big a hole to climb out of for the Illini. The only good news for Illinois: It held Baylor to zero threes in the second half and just 32 total points.
Illinois' shooting percentage: 39.7
The story of the night was the Illini's defense (or lack thereof, at least for one half). But Illinois was hardly the embodiment of perfection on the other end. Andrej Stojakovic was a nightmare. Tomislav Ivisic couldn't buy a bucket.
In general, the Illini offense didn't look great. It was my-turn basketball all night long, and the ball stuck a lot more often than it usually does. Part of that was surely the unique personnel combinations forced by injuries, but that isn't much of an excuse.
Illinois needs to play together, actually utilizing each other's strengths, or it won't be the well-oiled offensive machine many expect it to be this season.
Illinois' offensive rebounding rate: 47.7 percent
For all our talk of the Illini's inability to rebound, we did conveniently leave out one notable number: 21 offensive rebounds. Illinois got back 47.7 percent of its own misses – which is another astonishingly high number. (For perspective, Tennessee's 44.7 percent offensive rebounding rate led the nation a year ago).
In the second half, despite missing its entire big-man trio – David Mirkovic has been sidelined, while both Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic had departed the game – the Illini wrangled a whopping 56 percent of their misses.
That doesn't change things on the other end, though. Illinois' exceptional offensive rebounding is all for naught if it allows opponents to do the same thing.
Today's best reads
- Brad Underwood Previews Illinois vs. Baylor, Updates David Mirkovic's Status
- Illinois Basketball 2026-27 Scouting Report: Ethan Brown
- Why Quentin Coleman Could Be Illinois' Most Important Player This Season
- How to Watch Illinois Basketball vs Baylor Exhibition Game
- What Illinois Basketball Must Prove Against Baylor in Exhibition Game
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as 5 Stats That Defined Illinois Basketball's Exhibition Loss to Baylor.