Hoosiers beat at the buzzer by Illini

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – One shot changed everything.

With four seconds on the clock, Illinois took a timeout. Instead of focusing on Illini guard Demetri McCamey, who had already scored 17 points and dished eight assists, Crean prepared for his equally dangerous teammates.

McCamey in-bounded the ball and received a hand-off pass before driving to his right, shooting over senior guard Devan Dumes and freshman forward Christian Watford. As his shot slid through the net, the final horn blared on a Hoosier 72-70 loss.
IU players walked off the court, their heads sunk toward the floor of Illinois’ Assembly Hall. Senior center Tijan Jobe put a hand on the back of a down Jeremiah Rivers for reassurance.

“I thought the team played hard,” freshman guard Jordan Hulls said. “It’s just unfortunate that he hit a tough shot at the end of the game.”

IU had just sustained a loss worse than any other this season. Not because of the score, but because the Hoosiers played resiliently, only to have McCamey make a floating basket at the last second. 

Although it registered as a Hoosier (9-11, 3-5) loss, it was impossible to ignore the maturation displayed in the final moments.

“Most games, probably on both side of the ball, coaches can always go back and look at buzzer beaters where they made a few mistakes – ‘it should’ve never got to that point,’” IU coach Tom Crean said. “I’m not sure that’s the case in this game.”
In its fourth road game this season, IU sustained every hit Illinois tolled out and responded.

Hulls was the first to do so. He scored eight of IU’s first 12 points and opened the driving lanes for other players with his 3-point shot.

When the Illini tightened its defense on him, senior Devan Dumes and sophomore Verdell Jones picked up where he left off.

The three guards combined for 44 of IU’s 70 points and shared seven of its 11 assists.
Jones said the play from IU was a sign of improvement.

“We’re growing fast and rapidly,” Jones said. “That’s why it’s so tough. We’re right there, with little adjustments here and there.”

IU relied on Jones to lead in the game’s closing seconds, playing mistake-free basketball and giving his team a chance to win.

He would score four of IU’s final six points but the last two fell onto Rivers.
“We knew going in that he could hit those,” Jones said of Rivers’ free throws. “He had a couple practices he had to hit two free throws before practice was over. He knocked them down in practice.”

A team that has struggled at the line, IU made seven consecutive free throws to close the game.

Rivers, a junior who shoots 50 percent from the line, made two clutch shots from the stripe to tie the game at 70.

But in the end, McCamey’s shot would prove to be bigger.

Jones said Saturday’s faltering was one of the worst in his time at IU, mostly because of its freshness and the passion his team had.

“Any loss is tough,” he said. “But I think the effort and the hard work we put into this, that’s what makes it so gut-wrenching.”