What happened

CHAMPAIGN — Basketball looks a lot easier when you make shots — and the other team doesn’t.

Illinois (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten) held Purdue (9-6, 2-2 Big Ten) to its worst shooting percentage in program history (25.0 percent) in a 63-37 rout of the Boilermakers for the Illini’s best Big Ten defensive performance of Brad Underwood’s tenure. No Purdue player scored in double digits.

After shooting 3-for-28 from three in a 20-point loss at Michigan State on Thursday, Illinois made three 3-pointers in their first six tries (finishing the game 45.2 percent from the field) and held Purdue scoreless for the first 6:50 of the game.

Alan Griffin led Illinois with his first career double-double (16 points and 12 rebounds) in the program’s first win over Purdue since January 2016. Trent Frazier and Kofi Cockburn each added 12 points.

Illinois out-rebounded Purdue 46-34, outscored Purdue 30-14 in the paint and had a 17-to-5 advantage on second-chance points.

Illinois took an 11-0 lead to start and eventually a 25-10 lead after making 11 of its first 21 shots. Purdue missed its first 10 shots. Illinois claimed a 32-19 halftime lead and extended its lead to 39-23 early in the second half. But Purdue went on a 9-2 run midway through the second half to cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the 10-minute mark of the first half. But Illinois blew it open with an 18-2 run to put it away.

What it means: Like most Big Ten teams, Illinois looks like a pretty darn good team at home. Illinois now has two Big Ten home wins over top-20 KenPom teams. But for Brad Underwood’s team to take a significant step this season, it’ll need to win on the road. The Illini are 2-18 under Underwood in true Big Ten road games. On Wednesday, the Illini will try to win at a place (Kohl Center) they haven’t won in a decade.

Star of the game: Trent Frazier deserves this too, but the people want Alan Griffin and it’s hard to disagree with the people. Griffin has been fantastic recently, providing Illinois both energy and scoring off the bench. During his last six games, Griffin is averaging 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds. Over his last two games, he has 33 points and 21 rebounds.

Stat of the game: Through 41 Big Ten games under Brad Underwood, Illinois kept two Ten opponents under 60 points. Purdue scored just 37 on Sunday. The last time Illinois held a Big Ten opponent under 50 points was a 53-46 win at Michigan State in 2014.

Don’t overlook: Illinois has a post advantage during Big Ten play. The Illini have outscored all four Big Ten opponents in the paint for a net plus-46 through four Big Ten games. The Illini haven’t been out-rebounded yet by a Big Ten team, a net plus-28 through four conference games. The Illini also have a 29-point advantage on second-chance points through four Big Ten games.

What’s next: Illinois heads back on the road to play Wisconsin (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten) at 8 p.m. Wednesday (BTN). The Illini have lost 15 straight overall to the Badgers and haven’t won in Madison since 2010 — a stretch of eight games which Illinois has lost by an average of 16.3 points per game. The 2019-20 Badgers started slow, going 5-5 over their first 10 games. But Wisconsin has won four straight, including a 20-point win at Tennessee and a four-point road win at No. 5 Ohio State. The Badgers currently rank No. 24 in the KenPom and No. 28 in the NET rankings, so this road test is a chance for Illinois to notch a Quad 1 win. Junior big man Nate Reuvers leads a balanced Badgers attack with 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. Five other Wisconsin players average more than 8.0 points per game: D’Mitrik Trice, Kobe King, Aleem Ford, Brad Davison and Brevin Pritzl.