Illinois Fighting Illini at USC Trojans
· NCAA Men's Basketball
No. 10 Illinois overwhelms USC by 36 points, cruising to its 14th win in 16 games
Blue and orange-clad fans were out in force for the Fighting Illini's first game against the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1975. The Illini (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) didn't disappoint, leading all the way to maintain a hold on second place in the conference standings behind No. 1 Michigan.
The Illini were up by 22 at halftime, and poured it on to start the second half. They outscored the Trojans 21-10, hitting five 3-pointers and extending the lead to 75-42. Stojakovic capped the spurt with a steal and one-handed slam that drew cheers.
Stojakovic was 6 of 7 from the floor and made all nine of his free throws. David Mirkovic added 14 points. The Illini hit 24 of 26 free throws while sending USC to its biggest loss of the season.
Illinois made 13 3-pointers, and at one point in the second half was shooting equally as well from long range as from the floor overall (46%). Visiting fans took turns shouting “I-L-L” with the other side of the arena responding “I-N-I.”
Ezra Ausar scored 15 points and Jacob Cofie added 14 for USC (18-8, 7-8), which lost its second straight and fell to 0-4 against ranked teams. The Trojans were without second-leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara (18.3 points per game) because of a strained knee. They committed 14 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Illini.
USC remains in the Pacific time zone for its final five Big Ten games, starting Saturday when Oregon visits.
How can I watch Illinois vs. USC?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 101 - 65 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 101 - 65 |
| 2nd 0:26 | Ezra Ausar makes 0-foot tip in dunk | 101 - 65 |
| 2nd 0:26 | Ezra Ausar Offensive Rebound. | 101 - 63 |
| 2nd 0:27 | Jaden Brownell misses 8-foot hook shot | 101 - 63 |
Statistics
 ILL |
 USC |
|
|---|---|---|
| 32-62 | FG | 23-62 |
| 52 | Field Goal % | 37 |
| 13-29 | 3PT | 7-18 |
| 45 | Three Point % | 39 |
| 24-26 | FT | 12-20 |
| 92 | Free Throw % | 60 |
| 41 | Rebounds | 30 |
| 13 | Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
| 28 | Defensive Rebounds | 17 |
| 21 | Assists | 16 |
| 7 | Steals | 5 |
| 8 | Blocks | 2 |
| 9 | Turnovers | 14 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 2 |
| 9 | Total Turnovers | 14 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 22 | Points Off Turnovers | 9 |
| 19 | Fast Break Points | 1 |
| 36 | Points in Paint | 28 |
| 19 | Fouls | 22 |
| 39 | Largest Lead | 0 |
| 0 | Lead Changes | 0 |
| 98 | Percent Led | 0 |
Game Information
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 7,327 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 18-1 | - | 28-2 |
| Michigan State | 15-4 | 3 | 25-5 |
| Nebraska | 14-5 | 4 | 25-5 |
| Illinois | 14-5 | 4 | 23-7 |
| Purdue | 13-6 | 5 | 23-7 |
| Wisconsin | 13-6 | 5 | 21-9 |
| UCLA | 12-7 | 6 | 20-10 |
| Ohio State | 11-8 | 7 | 19-11 |
| Iowa | 10-9 | 8 | 20-10 |
| Indiana | 9-10 | 9 | 18-12 |
| USC | 7-12 | 11 | 18-12 |
| Washington | 7-12 | 11 | 15-15 |
| Minnesota | 7-12 | 11 | 14-16 |
| Northwestern | 5-14 | 13 | 13-17 |
| Rutgers | 5-14 | 13 | 12-18 |
| Oregon | 4-15 | 14 | 11-19 |
| Maryland | 4-15 | 14 | 11-19 |
| Penn State | 3-16 | 15 | 12-18 |