It was a tale of two halves for Illinois in its exhibition loss to Baylor. Unfortunately for the Illini, their first 20 minutes were so painfully bad that their final 20 minutes – the vast majority of which were mighty impressive – weren't enough to save the day.
Here is what went wrong – and right – on Friday night for Illinois:
What went wrong for Illinois basketball in loss to Baylor
First half defense
Baylor's guard trio of Brett Decker Jr., Kayden Mingo and Isaac Williams IV outscored Illinois' entire team by itself in the first half (46 combined points against the Illini's 44). They hit 10 threes but also managed seven made two-pointers.
Illinois' defense took away nothing. Admittedly, the Bears' guards were hitting. But it's a lot easier to connect when you're wide open. Friday night was a test for the Illini defense. It failed. Illinois' defensive personnel – especially at the top of the rotation – remains a question mark on the perimeter.
Defensive rebounding
This point has been hammered home in the aftermath of this loss, but it can't go unmentioned in this space: Illinois was atrocious on the defensive glass. Baylor had more offensive rebounds (22) than the Illini had defensive boards (17).
Sure, Illinois' frontcourt was decimated. And, yes, the Bears have good size and athleticism. But a team should never have fewer defensive rebounds than offensive rebounds allowed. It's flat-out embarrassing – even in an exhibition game.
Injuries
This one wasn't the Illini's fault. Already down David Mirkovic to start the game, Illinois saw three other key members of the squad forced out of the game. Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic each exited the contest because of injuries. The status of each remains relatively unknown for the time being.
Two-point efficiency
The Illini shot it fairly well from deep. Despite the Bears' explosion in the first half, the home squad actually finished with more made threes (14) than the visitors (11) – although Illinois took 14 more of them than did Baylor.
Inside the arc was a nightmare for the Illini, though. They went just 15-for-34 (44.1 percent), thanks in large part to Stojakovic's slashing struggles. But it wasn't just him. Other players missed easy ones, too. Illinois is too big, athletic and skilled to be shooting under 50 percent on two-pointers.
What went right for Illinois basketball in the loss to Baylor
Response to adversity
It's a cliche, but it applies to this one: Down 19 at the break, Illinois could have easily rolled over. In a meaningless exhibition game in which they were missing preseason All-American David Mirkovic, what difference did the final outcome really make?
Instead, the Illini gritted their teeth and punched back. The box score told the story: After Baylor poured in 63 first-half points, it managed just 32 in the second half.
That disparity is reminiscent of last season's group. In 2025-26, Illinois was dominant on defense at times (especially in the NCAA Tournament). But it was also porous on other occasions.
Illini coach Brad Underwood has alluded to his team's defensive potential. If the second half against the Bears is any indication, Illinois has a strong chance of figuring things out and realizing that potential sooner than it did a season ago.
Newcomers flourish
This was the offseason of retention for Illinois, but on Friday non-returners accounted for 62 of the Illini's points. As previously mentioned, Mirkovic was out, while the Ivisic twins and Stojakovic each made early exits. Late in the second half, Jake Davis was all that was left among Illinois' healthy key veterans.
That forced the freshmen and transfer Stefan Vaaks (18 points) to step up. For the most part, they did. (They were in a 19-point halftime hole, after all.) But it wasn't just the scoring – it was the aforementioned defense.
Jake finds Stef on the kick-out for three!
Watch on B1G+ pic.twitter.com/ZDGMyCUcdr
– Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 24, 2026
Freshman Lincoln Williams was outstanding on the ball. He picked up full court and created chaos. With his size, length and athletic traits, Williams can be one of the best on-ball defenders in the Big Ten as soon as this season. (Whether he gets a chance to actually show that depends on the rest of his game.)
Lincoln takes it to the rim!
Watch on B1G+ pic.twitter.com/e4pHOqjCIp
– Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 24, 2026
Quentin Coleman played with all-out effort, as did junior Jason Jakstys. Freshman Lucas Morillo canned a pair of long-distance jumpers. Zavier Zens was solid in his minutes. Underwood has raved about this freshman class – and Vaaks – and we saw why against Baylor.
Offensive rebounding
How does Illinois get tossed all over the defensive boards, and then proceed to do the tossing on the other end? It doesn't add up – at all. Yet somehow the Illini had 21 of their own offensive rebounds. (Remember: They only had 17 defensive rebounds.)
Even if the Illini are dominant on their own glass again this season, they will need to be at least semi-adequate on the other end – they also gave up 12 offensive rebounds to Cincinnati last week – to get where they want to go.
Today's best reads
- What Illinois Basketball Must Prove Against Baylor in Exhibition Game
- Illinois Basketball Player Grades After Baylor Exhibition Loss
- 3 Important Illinois Basketball Questions Ahead of the Baylor Exhibition
- Brad Underwood Previews Illinois vs. Baylor, Updates David Mirkovic's Status
- Brad Underwood Quotes to Know After Illinois' Exhibition Win Over Cincinnati
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as What Went Wrong – and Right – for Illinois Basketball in Loss to Baylor.