Zvonimir Ivisic's dunk on a lob from D.J. Wagner gave Arkansas its first points at the 16:02 mark of the first half. Illinois went ahead 21-6 on a three-pointer by Ben Humrichous, forcing Arkansas coach John Calipari to take a timeout with 12:36 to play before halftime. The Razorbacks were competitive from there, but the damage was done.

And according to Calipari, his team lost its head a bit defending the outside shot. Assistant coach Chin Coleman said Wednesday night that the goal was to hold Illinois to about 20 3-point attempts. The Illini finished 15-of-31 in the category, while Arkansas went 5-of-17.

SEC meets Big Ten as No. 19 Arkansas and Illinois clash in a compelling non-conference matchup during Thanksgiving week.