Illinois (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten) got right against Iowa in blowout fashion, toppling the Hawkeyes, 81-61. The Illini snapped a three-game losing streak in the process and delivered

The Iowa Hawkeyes are in the midst of a disappointing season, but that doesn't mean they aren't a terribly tough matchup for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The loss dropped Iowa to 15-13 and 6-11 in Big Ten play. The Top 15 teams in the conference will make the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes are currently 14th in the Big Ten with games left against Northwestern, No. 8 Michigan State and Nebraska remaining.

Illinois led 24-11 midway through the first half, but Iowa scored the next 11 points as the Illini missed eight straight shots. However, the Hawkeyes were held to two points in the final 4:16 of the half as Illinois built its cushion back to seven points.

As Iowa Hawkeyes' senior transfer guard Drew Thelwell's college career soon comes to a close, he commented on his hopes to finish the season strong.

The Iowa softball team split games with a 3-2 record at the Woo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, Arkansas, over the weekend.  Hosted by No. 11 Arkansas, the Razorbacks gave the Hawkeyes a tough search for valuable ranked wins.