While people around the country were stuffing their faces with turkey, mashed potatoes and other Thanksgiving specials, Illinois (6-1) was feasting in Kansas City. In front of a split crowd at the neutral site, Illinois defeated No. 19 Arkansas 90-77.
Three-point barrage
The disparity from long range decided this game, and it was apparent early. Graduate student forward Ben Humrichous started the scoring with a deep three in the first minute, and the three-point attack began.
Sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic led the barrage, knocking down four three-pointers in the opening half. He had shown comfort throughout the season despite shooting 28% heading into Thursday but found his touch against Arkansas.
The Illini outscored the Razorbacks 27-0 from beyond the arc in the first half. This played a pretty big role in their 15-point halftime advantage. When the final buzzer sounded, Illinois had 15 threes to Arkansas’ five while shooting 48.4%.
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Battle of brothers
Playing on Thanksgiving wasn’t the only special part of Thursday’s game. Ivisic matched up against his twin brother, sophomore center Zvonimir Ivisic, and the two went at it for the first time.
To Illinois’ benefit, Tomislav Ivisic clearly outperformed his brother. The 7-foot-1 Croatian filled just about every box on the stat sheet, including six threes. He finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Zvonimir Ivisic struggled mightily in the first 20 minutes of the matchup but recovered in the second half. The sophomore had a quick eight-point spurt in the opening five minutes of the second half and finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Everyone contributing
From start to finish, Illinois controlled this one. The Illini were ahead by double digits for most of the game after jumping to an 11-0 lead. In the second half, the lead reached 17, and the team responded to every Arkansas attempt to scratch back into the game.
Several big baskets were made by Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic, but others drained important shots as well. Junior guard Kylan Boswell had quite an all-around game. The Arizona transfer tallied 18 points and six assists and asserted himself as a physical presence on both sides of the ball.
While a lack of physicality resulted in the Illini’s only loss of the year, they showed an improved effort on that front on Thursday. Arkansas wanted to run and execute in the fast break, but Illinois had different intentions. They still played with great pace but also forced a ton of contact. Boswell and freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. were especially rough.
Johnson had a stretch in the first half where he cut to the basket on three consecutive possessions. It ended in free throws and two baskets made, proving his value.
Head coach Brad Underwood went deeper down his bench than usual. Sophomore forward Jake Davis entered for some rare first-half minutes and immediately awarded Underwood. Davis drilled a three from the corner to extend the Illini lead and played six minutes in the game.
The closer
Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis picked it up late, with Illinois needing someone to step up. From the 7:55 mark in the second half until 1:59, Jakucionis scored 14 straight points for the Illini. He ended with 23 on the game on the back of his late takeover, draining tough buckets to put the game away.
What it means
It was the first ranked win of the season for the Illini, who hope it isn’t the last. They showed a lot of growth from the Alabama loss, and things appear to be clicking better each game.
Only one mid-major opponent remains on the schedule, and Illinois has three more big games approaching before winter break. An early and dominant win over a ranked team loaded with top talent is important for the inexperienced Illini. It shows their already significant improvements from the opening weeks of the season.
@benfader7
