Punxsutawney Phil may have announced six more weeks of winter this morning, but that couldn’t keep any Illinois fans in poor spirits. No. 18 Illinois (15-7, 7-5) picked up a big win on Sunday afternoon, downing Ohio State (13-9, 5-6) 87-79.
Sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić was back in the starting lineup and added to some tweaks made by the coaching staff. Sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. joined him in the surprise starting lineup, and both players fueled the victory.
A Royal first half
Sophomore forward Devin Royal is Ohio State’s second-leading scorer this season, but he looked more like an All-American in the first 20 minutes on Sunday. He was aggressive from the opening tip, attacking the rim early.
Once Royal got comfortable, he began to stretch the floor, something he doesn’t do much. Royal entered the contest shooting 21.9% from long-range and only had seven makes all season. He hit three in the first half.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
The forward finished the half with 19 points and three rebounds as the Buckeyes took a six-point lead going into the break. It wasn’t enough for the win, but his solid play extended into the second, and Royal finished with 29 points and seven rebounds.
Knocking off rust
Even though the Illini have several guys below 100%, Sunday was the healthiest they’ve been since Jan. 14. They haven’t played consecutive healthy games since Jan. 5, and it showed.
For Illinois, turnovers have been a problem for much of the year, and the lack of consistent chemistry was evident. Eight first-half turnovers put Illinois behind early, and most involved Ivišić and freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis. Each had three first-half turnovers.
The talent on the floor at all times is impressive, but the lack of ball security is becoming a far too consistent trend. That won’t change until the roster can consistently play together and get more experience valuing possessions.
Too big
It was clear from the opening minute that Illinois was larger and more physical than Ohio State on Sunday. The two-big lineup from head coach Brad Underwood gave the visitors big-time problems.
Johnson might’ve been the happiest person in the building with Ivišić returning, and that’s saying something. His experience in the starting lineup carried over into this one and led to a dominant first-half double-double. Ten points and boards apiece at halftime was massive for Illinois, but how he did it was even better.
The Illini are one of the best offensive-rebounding teams in the nation, and Johnson only added to those numbers. With several Buckeyes in foul trouble, Johnson grabbed five offensive rebounds in the first half and seven in the game. His rim-rocking dunks that followed brought everyone in the building to their feet and kept the team’s energy high.
He wasn’t the only one putting pressure on Ohio State, though. Ivišić and Johnson got a good position for most of the game, allowing Illinois guards to crash the glass. Gibbs-Lawhorn and Jakučionis rewarded their bigs with a put-back each, bringing Illinois back into the game.
3-point shooting is officially a problem
After starting the year so well, Illinois only entered the matchup shooting the three-ball 31.4% this season. A 20% performance against Ohio State made it five consecutive games shooting worse than 29% from beyond the arc.
The shot selection may have gotten too far out of control after early-season shootouts; however, the Illini have also been missing open looks. There is no sign of the slump ending soon, but they did find other ways to score baskets.
A team as talented and athletic as Illinois doesn’t only need to hit three-pointers to win games. Underwood changed the game plan at the half, and an onslaught in the paint ensued in the second.
To reach its goal of a deep postseason run, the shooting needs to improve. But, its win over Ohio State boosted Illinois’ confidence to win games inside the arc.
Responding to outside noise
It might not matter to some, but the Orange Krush has been catching some flack lately on social media. Fans commenting on how quiet and distracted the student section had been caught the attention of the group’s leaders. They responded with one of their best efforts in a while.
There were several good crowd pops on Sunday, but none better than at the 12:06 mark of the second half. Gibbs-Lawhorn stripped the ball and raced for the basket. Despite being the shortest guy on the floor, the guard exploded off of his left foot and threw down a hammer. It capped a 12-2 run from Illinois and brought deafening noise to State Farm Center.
The fans weren’t the only ones to respond to criticism. Sunday provided the most passionate style of play that the Illini have shown all year. Gibbs-Lawhorn and Johnson always supply a little extra juice after big plays, but there were signs of life from others who are typically more passive.
Graduate student forward Ben Humrichous stepped up and was vocal in multiple team huddles. Even Ivišić and freshman forward Will Riley showed their emotions a few times. A strong “want to win” mentality from the entire roster reignited expectations for a team with a high ceiling.
Every ounce of energy and passion was needed from the team and crowd on Sunday, as Illinois trailed by 11 at one point in the second half. An 11-0 run was the major turning point for the hosts, taking a 74-68 lead into the under-four timeout.
It was a nice coast to the finish in the final minutes for the Illini, who desperately needed the win. Ivišić played regular minutes in the surprise start, a good sign for Illinois.
Riley was the scoring star in the rebound game as well. After two star-caliber performances in recent losses for the Illini, the rest of the team finally got Riley a win in one of his breakout Big Ten games. The Canadian finished with 24 points on 7-9 shooting from the field.
Illinois travels to Piscataway, New Jersey, on Wednesday for its next conference challenge against Rutgers.
@benfader7