It was another rainy night in Champaign when Illinois (3-0) took on Oakland (1-2) in its final game of the opening homestand. The Illini were victorious, 66-54, despite an ugly night resembling the weather that plagued campus all day.
Oakland struggled overall in its first two matchups but came into Wednesday night confident. The Golden Grizzlies’ roster changed a lot from the team that only lost by 11 in Champaign and knocked No. 3 seeded Kentucky out of March Madness last year, but that didn’t stop them from giving Illinois a scare.
The usual suspect
Sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic was the standout Illini against the Golden Grizzlies. The Croatian big man tallied 20 points, five boards and four steals in the affair and was by far the most efficient Illini who received significant minutes.
He couldn’t hit any three-point attempts, but Ivisic posed as a matchup nightmare in the post. Head coach Brad Underwood set his center up in the middle of Oakland’s zone all night long, and Ivisic found plenty of opportunities to turn to his hook shot with space. He’s the early candidate for the most consistent Illini through three games and will lead them moving forward.
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Oakland: Small but physical
Only one Golden Grizzly stands above 6-foot-7, and while they were outsized, they refused to let themselves get outworked. The physicality may have been illegal at times, as the Golden Grizzlies drew five of the first six fouls, but their message was clear.
After a couple of minutes, Oakland began to test what it could get away with, throwing several elbows and pushing airborne Illinois players reaching for rebounds. As the boo-birds came out from the crowd, showing their distaste for the uptick in physicality, the Golden Grizzlies’ confidence grew.
When Illinois looked like it was going to run away with it, Oakland went on an 11-0 run in three minutes to bring the game within three points. The 22-19 game quieted the crowd, and the Golden Grizzlies managed to keep it that way from the seven-minute mark of the first half until five minutes into the second half.
Learning curve
A consistent theme throughout the year — at least the first half — will be just how little experience the Illini have. With almost no adversity in their first two wins, the competitive Golden Grizzlies provided the Illini an opportunity to gel and find themselves in a tight game.
The Golden Grizzlies narrowed the lead several times on Wednesday night but could never retake the lead down the stretch. Several big shots were hit to break scoreless spells, and junior guard Kylan Boswell provided the first.
With 7:30 left in the first half, the Champaign native was 1-8 from three on the season, but he found himself wide open from deep at a critical time. Boswell calmly knocked down a three-pointer to stretch the lead to six, and the rest of the Illini found themselves for a few minutes and built a small lead back up.
Ivisic was the guy in the second half, and boy, did they need it. Oakland narrowed the lead to just three with 18:34 left in the second half, but Ivisic responded with six of the next nine points, and Illinois never looked back.
Responding to pressure will benefit the Illini in numerous ways as they approach the tough portion of their non-conference schedule. Having multiple guys who can step up to hit big shots is what got Illinois to an Elite Eight last year, and it will fuel the team through an era of college basketball with so many roster uncertainties.
Questions going forward as No. 2 awaits
Here. We. Go. The first three games of the season were fun, double-digit wins, but the real competition is creeping up quickly. Two top-25 opponents await Illinois in the next two weeks, and we’ll know a lot more about this team after those matchups.
Is this the Boswell Illinois is getting? After shooting 38% from three on five attempts per game last season, the junior is shooting just 25% from three and averaging five points in the first three games. His defense has been solid, but his offensive production has not been starter-worthy and not what Illinois thought they were getting in the portal.
Can Illinois take care of the ball? Turnovers were a problem in the exhibition, and against a slower, tougher opponent in Oakland, Illinois turned it over a whopping 18 times. That will not fly against the more athletic and imposing teams that loom.
They have a full week to plan for No. 2 Alabama, though. The mistakes from the Wednesday night slopfest will be worked on all week in anticipation of a good, clean showing in their first official test of 2024-25.
@benfader7
