Dec. 10--NEW YORK -- Illinois coach John Groce said before the Jimmy V Classic that he likes to learn from every opponent the Illini play.
The Illini certainly learned a lot from No. 7 Villanova in a 73-59 loss Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. They probably learned even more about themselves.
"We're not a team yet," Groce said. "We have not figured out how to connect some of those dots and stay connected."
In an opportunity to register a marquee non-conference victory on national television, the Illini (7-2) challenged the Wildcats but ultimately wilted.
After tying the game 50-50 in the second half, fighting back from an 11-point deficit, Illinois left the Wildcats (9-0) unchallenged. They scored on nine of their last 10 offensive possessions to reclaim a double-digit lead in the final 10 minutes.
"I wouldn't say we ran out of gas," said sophomore Malcolm Hill, who scored a career-high 20 points. "That's never the case. I think we just fell out of character. We lost ourselves."
The Illini, Groce said, became defensively "selfish," not helping each other out.
That allowed Villanova forward Daniel Ochefu to score six of his 12 points in the last seven minutes. Dylan Ennis also caught fire, scoring 10 of his 18 points after the Illini had tied the game with 8 minutes, 29 seconds remaining.
"In the last eight minutes, I thought (the Wildcats) were smarter," Groce said. "I thought they were tougher. I thought they executed better. I thought they were more cohesive. I thought they had more grit. We weren't real thrilled with that."
The Illini tied the game earlier, 38-38, in the second half but never could claim a lead.
The Wildcats shot 61.5 percent in the second half, hitting 53.7 percent of their shots for the game. That includes an 0-for-5 effort on 3-pointers in the first half.
Illinois was outrebounded 37-30, which gave Villanova a 13-9 advantage on second-chance points. The Wildcats also scored 19 points off 14 Illinois turnovers.
Aaron Cosby shot just 1 for 8 for the Illini, dropping his season field goal percentage to just 31.2 percent.
The Illini, Groce said, still are trying to figure out their chemistry as Cosby (Seton Hall) and Ahmad Starks (Oregon State), who scored five points, sat out last season.
Rayvonte Rice scored 10 points, while Kendrick Nunn came off the bench to add nine points.
"(Playing against talented opponents) teaches you that you have to come together as a team," Groce said. "You have to connect those dots. You have to get caught up in the team. You get an opportunity to learn a lot about yourself."
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