Illinois eliminated from NIT

Malcolm Hill had 29 points, but Illinois lost to Central Florida 65-58 in the NIT quarterfinals on Wednesday night in Orlando, Florida.

Hill hit back-to-back three-pointers and then made three free throws with 3:14 to play to cut the deficit to six. But A.J. Davis made 5 of 6 free throws from there, and B.J. Taylor was 6 of 8 in the final minute.

Hill finished his Illini career with 1,846 points, third all-time. Jamall Walker went 2-1 as the interim coach after replacing John Groce, who was fired after the Big Ten tournament.

Taylor scored 17 points, and Tacko Fall had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Central Florida.

Davis and Matt Williams added 16 points apiece for the Knights (24-11), who will play TCU in a semifinal game at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

UCF was the fourth seed in the bracket and Illinois (20-15) No. 2, but because of an arena conflict, the Fighting Illini couldn’t host the game. The Knights took advantage with the first sellout crowd in 10,000-seat CFE Arena history to move within one win of tying for the most in school history.

Both teams had five three-pointers in the first half, but Illinois only had two other baskets, shooting 7-for-26 to fall behind 34-19.

UCF pushed the lead to 19 midway through the second half and was up 52-37 before Hill rallied the Illini.