# Illinois Basketball Loss to Baylor

> Illinois basketball's exhibition loss to Baylor highlights defensive struggles and freshman resilience.
- Title: Illinois Basketball Loss to Baylor | Shortify
- Summary: Illinois basketball's exhibition loss to Baylor highlights defensive struggles and freshman resilience. Illinois basketball lost to Baylor in exhibition game…
- Keywords: illinois basketball, baylor, brad underwood, exhibition game, defensive rebounding, freshman players, illinois fighting illini, ncaa tournament, baylor basketball, illinois basketball team, baylor guard trio, illinois defense
- Source: Illinois Fighting Illini On SI — https://si.com/college/illinois/basketball/what-went-wrong-right-illinois-basketball-loss-baylor
- Published: 2026-10-27T01:59:49+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: illinois basketball, baylor, brad underwood, exhibition game, defensive rebounding, freshman players, illinois fighting illini, ncaa tournament, baylor basketball, illinois basketball team, baylor guard trio, illinois defense
## Tale of Two Halves
Illinois basketball suffered a painful exhibition loss to Baylor with a disastrous first half that couldn't be overcome by a strong second half.
## First Half Defense
Baylor's guard trio of Brett Decker Jr., Kayden Mingo and Isaac Williams IV outscored Illinois' entire team by 46 points against 44 in the first half.
## Illinois Defense Failed
Illinois' defense took away nothing as Baylor's guards hit 10 threes and 7 two-pointers in the first half.
## Defensive Rebounding
Illinois had 17 defensive rebounds versus Baylor's 22 offensive rebounds in the game.
## Injuries
Illinois lost David Mirkovic to start the game and saw three other key players injured: Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic.
## Two-Point Efficiency
Illinois went 15-for-34 (44.1 percent) from inside the arc with Stojakovic's slashing struggles.
## Response to Adversity
Illinois rallied from a 19-point halftime deficit to score 32 points in the second half after Baylor's 63 first-half points.
## Newcomers Flourish
Freshman Stefan Vaaks scored 18 points and Lincoln Williams created chaos with his size and athletic traits.
## Offensive Rebounding
Illinois had 21 offensive rebounds despite only 17 defensive rebounds in the game.
## Illinois Coaching
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has expressed confidence in the team's defensive potential after the second half performance.
## Freshman Impact
Freshmen Lincoln Williams and Quentin Coleman showed strong performance with Williams creating chaos and Coleman playing with all-out effort.
## Illinois Defense
Illinois' defense remains a question mark on the perimeter with their top defensive personnel struggling.
## Illinois Basketball
Illinois basketball lost to Baylor in exhibition game with defensive issues but strong second-half performance.
## Illinois Team
Illinois basketball team showed resilience after poor first half with strong second half performance.
## Key takeaway

Illinois basketball lost to Baylor in exhibition game despite strong second-half performance after poor first-half defense and offensive rebounding issues.