Illinois Fighting Illini at Auburn Tigers
· NCAA Men's Basketball
81 - 62
Illinois builds early lead to beat Auburn 81-62
This was considered a "home" game for Auburn, which last year played Illinois in Chicago's United Center as a visiting team.
The Illini (8-1) made a season-high 12 3-pointers on 23 attempts (52.2 percent) and shot 61.5 percent from the field (32 of 52). Illinois also held the SEC's leading scorer, Auburn's Chris Denson to eight points. He entered the game averaging 21.8, but made just three of seven shots Sunday.
Tracy Abrams added a season-high 17 points for Illinois, and Jon Ekey poured in 14 while making 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.
Auburn (4-3) was led by KT Harrell's 23 points, and freshman Tahj Shamsid-Deen added 13 in a return to his hometown.
The Illini defense was stifling as well, limiting the Tigers to just 26 percent shooting over the first 20 minutes. Auburn missed all four of its trey tries and Denson was held to four points.
Illinois scored the final 11 points of the first half.
The Illini's previous high for 3-pointers made was 10, against Bradley, in an 81-55 win on Nov. 17.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 81 - 62 |
| 2nd 0:14 | Maverick Morgan Offensive Rebound. | 81 - 62 |
| 2nd 0:14 | Mike LaTulip missed Three Point Jumper. | 81 - 62 |
| 2nd 0:30 | KT Harrell made Three Point Jumper. Assisted by Chris Denson. | 81 - 62 |
| 2nd 0:41 | Austin Colbert made Jumper. | 81 - 59 |
Statistics
 ILL |
 AUB |
|
|---|---|---|
| 32-52 | FG | 21-52 |
| 62 | Field Goal % | 40 |
| 12-23 | 3PT | 6-19 |
| 52 | Three Point % | 32 |
| 5-5 | FT | 14-18 |
| 100 | Free Throw % | 78 |
| 27 | Rebounds | 26 |
| 5 | Offensive Rebounds | 12 |
| 22 | Defensive Rebounds | 14 |
| 19 | Assists | 14 |
| 6 | Steals | 4 |
| 1 | Blocks | 1 |
| 14 | Turnovers | 13 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 14 | Total Turnovers | 13 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 8 | Points Off Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 19 | Fouls | 10 |
Game Information
Location: Atlanta, GA
Attendance: 2,259 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 19-1 | - | 37-3 |
| Nebraska | 15-5 | 4 | 28-7 |
| Michigan State | 15-5 | 4 | 27-8 |
| Illinois | 15-5 | 4 | 28-9 |
| Wisconsin | 14-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Purdue | 13-7 | 6 | 30-9 |
| UCLA | 13-7 | 6 | 24-12 |
| Ohio State | 12-8 | 7 | 21-13 |
| Iowa | 10-10 | 9 | 24-13 |
| Indiana | 9-11 | 10 | 18-14 |
| Minnesota | 8-12 | 11 | 15-18 |
| USC | 7-13 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Washington | 7-13 | 12 | 16-17 |
| Rutgers | 6-14 | 13 | 14-20 |
| Northwestern | 5-15 | 14 | 15-19 |
| Oregon | 5-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
| Maryland | 4-16 | 15 | 12-21 |
| Penn State | 3-17 | 16 | 12-20 |
2025-26 Southeastern Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 16-2 | - | 27-8 |
| Arkansas | 13-5 | 3 | 28-9 |
| Alabama | 13-5 | 3 | 25-10 |
| Vanderbilt | 11-7 | 5 | 27-9 |
| Tennessee | 11-7 | 5 | 25-12 |
| Texas A&M | 11-7 | 5 | 22-12 |
| Georgia | 10-8 | 6 | 22-11 |
| Kentucky | 10-8 | 6 | 22-14 |
| Missouri | 10-8 | 6 | 20-13 |
| Texas | 9-9 | 7 | 21-15 |
| Auburn | 7-11 | 9 | 22-16 |
| Oklahoma | 7-11 | 9 | 21-16 |
| Mississippi State | 5-13 | 11 | 13-19 |
| Ole Miss | 4-14 | 12 | 15-20 |
| South Carolina | 4-14 | 12 | 13-19 |
| LSU | 3-15 | 13 | 15-17 |