State Farm Center hosted a beatdown on Sunday afternoon. No. 24 Illinois (9-3) blew by Chicago State (0-15) 117-64, but it was already over after the first five minutes. Illinois played fast and physical in its final tune-up before conference play.
Bully ball
Chicago State didn’t have the guys to keep up with Illinois’ bigs. Sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic had a field day, scoring 23 points and adding two blocks. His post moves are already too much for high-level opponents, but he’s unstoppable against the mid-majors so far.
Ivisic got low on the block several times and backed his defenders down easily. Once he lulled his defenders to sleep with his back to the basket, he put his surprisingly quick feet to work. Whether it was his floater from the middle of the paint or his soft touch off the glass with his hook, it was falling against the Cougars.
It wasn’t just Ivisic on Sunday, though, as freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. had another solid game as well. The two players combined to shoot 13-17 from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds. Head coach Brad Underwood continued to utilize lineups that feature both players, and they complement each other well.
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All gas, no brakes
Junior guard Kylan Boswell looked like a guy shot from a cannon against the Cougars. After a slow start to the season when Boswell struggled to adjust to the pace and freedom of Illinois’ offensive system, the Champaign native has settled into his role nicely.
Despite the opponent entering winless, Boswell pushed the pace all day long. He played so hard that when Underwood tried to take him out with two minutes left, he begged to stay in. The crowd supported his request, as it gave the transfer a final opportunity to secure a triple-double.
Boswell finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an all-out effort. It was Illinois’ first triple-double since former Illini guard Marcus Domask recorded one in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year.
Increased confidence
In these final nonconference games, it’s important to get everyone gelled and playing their best ball heading into the Big Ten portion of the schedule. Freshman forward Will Riley showed maturity on Sunday and responded after a few down games.
The five-star freshman is a lights-out shooter but hasn’t gotten many threes to fall lately. Unlike many freshmen, he didn’t force much against Chicago State. He played his game and knocked down two threes on an efficient 3-6 from the field. Underwood wants him to keep shooting, and Riley showed poise on Sunday.
What’s next?
Illinois will travel to the West Coast to start a long stretch of conference games. It’ll greet the new Big Ten teams by visiting No. 9 Oregon (12-1) and Washington (9-4) next week. It’s a relatively kind schedule for Illinois as it doesn’t have too many difficult stretches.
Still, the Big Ten plays a tough brand of basketball, and it has become one of the most difficult conferences for road basketball teams in the country. Illinois is plenty capable, but with a young roster, bad games are bound to happen. The players have already shown the ability to rebound from tough losses when they do occur, and short memory will benefit them immensely as they look to hit the ground running in the New Year.
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