Saturday’s Illinois-Duke matchup in New York City was meant to be a priming of the pump, a get-ready non-conference interlude that would allow both teams to get a feel for an NCAA Tournament environment and competition.

But while the No. 3 Blue Devils looked like a national championship contender at Madison Square Garden, the Illini filled the shoes of a 16th-seeded no-hoper a million miles out of its league. Illinois struggled with Duke’s size and composure, allowing a 38-15 Blue Devils firsrt-half run on its way to missing 17 three-point attempts to start the game and were ultimately bombed out 110-67.

It was the largest margin of defeat for the Illini this season, but in some ways the result was even worse than it appeared by the numbers. Illinois got outmuscled around under the basket, out-coached on the whiteboard and – take your pick: athleticism, shooting, basketball IQ – otherwise outclassed on the floor.

Worse, the Illini (17-11) were a team without a plan. As the Blue Devils (24-3) charged out to a 54-37 halftime lead by shooting 54.5 percent and dishing 14 assists on 18 field goals, the Illini committed foolish turnovers, took turns trying (and failing) to take their defenders off the dribble and routinely got themselves caught on picks that led to Duke threes.

The irony was that Illinois managed to avoid one of its biggest fears – a full-on eruption from dominant freshman Cooper Flagg. The Illini managed to hold Flagg to six points on 1-for-4 shooting in the first half, and all they got to show for their troubles was a 17-point hole.

Of course, the damage only piled up from there, especially once Flagg got going. Even after center Tomislav Ivisic finally broke the ice with a three at 16:01 of the second half – Illinois’ first of the game – the Blue Devils’ lead had swelled to 21. Duke then went on a run that began with Flagg flipping in a layup and free throw and ended with him canning a deep three, pushing the deficit to 33 with 12:35 to play.

Isaiah Evans led seven Blue Devils scorers in double figures with 17 points, and Flagg contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Tre White led Illinois with 16 points, and Kasparas Jakucionis had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

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